Ho Ho Ho, and a Bottle of Rum!
by HilaryDroxursox
Summary: The title is 'cause Tudgeman said that once...anyway...  This is a collection of one-shot Christmas stories. One will be posted everyday, with the last chapter being posted on the 25. Please R&R! Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey guys. HAPPY DECEMBER! YAY! 24 full days 'till Christmas! Here's the first chapter of the Christmas story I promised. I wrote this back in November, though, haha. Here you go! Enjoy and PLEASE REVIEW! (I know there are Justin Bieber lyrics at the beginning, but don't judge the chapter just by that…I dislike his music; the lyrics just so happened to fit. Also, I'm not meaning to insult anyone who likes him.)**

**Perhaps I should explain how this is gonna work. I will post one chapter every day, the last chapter being posted on December 25. 25 chapters total, unless I decide to add some New Year's stories to the end. I probably will do that, in fact. Each chapter is a one shot. Ages, dates, dialogue, locations and scenarios will differ from chapter to chapter. THEY DO NOT IN ANY WAY GO TOGETHER OR REALTE. Other than the fact that they're all Christmas stories. THERE IS LG IN EACH CHAPTER. Don't like, don't read. Anyway…here ya go. And I congratulate you if you read this whole A/N. I know I tend to say a lot, but it's all important to the story…most of the time. COME BACK TOMORROW FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER! Any questions, please feel free to PM me.  
><strong> 

Chapter One: Mistletoe

_* It's the most beautiful time of the year  
>Lights fill the streets spreading so much cheer<br>I should be playing in the winter snow  
>But I'ma be under the mistletoe<em>

_I don't want to miss out on the holiday  
>But I can't stop staring at your face<br>I should be playing in the winter snow  
>But I'ma be under the mistletoe*<em>

Lizzie McGuire hummed along with the music filling her urban apartment. As a young college student, Lizzie was relieved to be on Christmas break, and was using her time off to prepare for her boyfriend's arrival. Gordo was due to arrive that night (December 22) at 7:00 PM. He and Lizzie had decided to go to different colleges and to try a long distance relationship. It hadn't been ideal, but it had worked out. They had worked out a schedule and visited each other on every school break. For Christmas, it was Gordo's turn to fly into JFK from LAX. (New York City, Los Angeles)

Lizzie glanced out her window into the crowded street. Snow fell, gently covering everything below it with a white dust. Lizzie remembered the first time she had ever seen the snow. It was her first winter here in New York, and she had looked outside to be greeted by blizzard-like snow flurries. She had been so excited and had sent pictures to Gordo over text. Now, Lizzie found herself standing by the window, smiling to herself. This was going to be Gordo's first Christmas in New York, and she was glad it was snowing for him. Lizzie shook herself out of her trance and continued decorating the apartment. She quickly gave everything the twice over. Lights around the windows, check. Paper snowflakes, a new tablecloth, and water in the base of the tree. Check, check, and check. The tree was bare, seeing as they would decorate it together later. Lizzie then set off to baking all of Gordo's favorite treats. At 6:00, she set off to hail a cab. On her way out the door, she noticed that the doorway looked very plain. She quickly grabbed some of the extra mistletoe off the counter and hung it up. She threw on her coat and headed out into the cold.

LM LM LM LM LM

The airport was crowded full with dreary faces, but Lizzie couldn't help but smile and sing along with the carols booming through the radio. She smiled and said hello to everyone she passed. "Someone's in a good mood," voice said from next to Lizzie. Lizzie turned and faced the woman next to her.

"Yeah," she admitted, still smiling.

The woman smiled. "Who are you waiting for?"

"My boyfriend," Lizzie said, not sure why she was telling this stranger about her life, "we haven't seen each other since Thanksgiving."

"Oh, that must be hard!"

"Sometimes. But we get through it."

"Where's he coming in from?"

"Los Angeles." That caused Lizzie to look at the digital "Arrival" board for the first time. Several flights had been cancelled or delayed. Lizzie's smile slowly faded to a frown as she dug through her purse for the airline and flight number she had scrawled on a paper somewhere. There it was. Southwest Airlines, flight 180. Lizzie glanced up at the board again. It was delayed. Lizzie sighed. At least it wasn't cancelled. She could stand to wait in the airport a while longer. A voice came over the intercom saying that flight 180 for Southwest (and a bunch of other flights Lizzie didn't pay attention to) were having trouble landing because of the snow. A little worry rose in Lizzie but she pushed it down. These were all very talented pilots. They could manage.

Faces came and went, including the lady who had been next to Lizzie. Lizzie had sprawled herself on the hard airport bench, careful not to fall asleep. You fall asleep in the middle of a New York City airport, and you don't know who might walk past and decide to play games with you. Every once in a while, she would turn her blonde head to the side and look out the window. Snow kept falling in thicker and thicker flurries. At about 8:00, Lizzie had fallen asleep against her own will. She just so happened to miss the announcement that Gordo's flight had landed at the Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, where it wasn't snowing.

LM LM LM LM LM

Gordo gathered his carry-on and got off the airplane. Those actions had become like second nature to him, he had visited Lizzie so many times in the past year and a half. He ran beside the automatic walkways, beating almost every tired person to the baggage claim. He snatched his bag and ran outside into the brisk winter air to hail a cab. "Hey, sir." Gordo said, plopping his luggage in the truck.

"Hi. Hop in, buddy."

"I know this probably sounds ridiculous," Gordo paused here to get into the back seat of the taxi, "but would you be willing to drive me to John F. Kennedy?"

The cab driver's eyes went wide. "The airport in New York?"

"Yeah," Gordo said, trying to come up with other things named after John Kennedy near his current location.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll take you." He pulled out onto the street.

"Great, thanks. How long?"

"Oh…about 35 minutes or so." Gordo winced. The fee for a 35 minute cab ride would be outrageous. "May I ask a question?" The cab driver added.

"Sure."

"What's in New York City? Another flight?"

"My girlfriend…that reminds me," Gordo pulled out his phone to call Lizzie. No answer. _That's weird,_ Gordo thought, but discarded any feeling of worry. She had probably just left her phone on vibrate by accident again. She did that _quite _often.

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"This enough?" Gordo asked, shoving a wad of cash out toward the cab driver (who Gordo had learned was named Al).

"Yeah," Al took about half the cash.

"But-'' Gordo tried to protest.

"Ssh. Merry Christmas," Al said and winked. He had heard Gordo trying to come up with enough cash for the ride. He didn't have the heart to take everything from this young kid. "Good luck with your girlfriend, Gordo."

"Thanks, Al. Merry Christmas to you, too." Gordo then took off running. What a long and crazy journey he had had. As he rounded the corner to the waiting area of the airport, Gordo realized that Lizzie might not even be there still. He should have gone straight to her apartment. _Too late, now, _Gordo thought, remembering that he didn't have enough cash left for another taxi. Gordo quickly scanned the area, looking for the familiar blonde hair and glowing hazel eyes. Then he saw her…asleep on the airport bench. This had not been the way he had expected to see her, but she was still beautiful. Like Sleeping Beauty. Gordo approached her and sat down, hoping no one would think he was a creeper. He reached out and stroked his girlfriend's cheek. Her eyelids flew open at the sudden touch, but relaxed when they fell on Gordo's face.

"Gordo!" She shrieked, sitting up and wrapping her arms around him. "Oh my gosh…when did you get here? _How _did you get here? The snow, and…"

"Ssh," he soothed, hearing in her voice that she was close to crying happy tears. "We landed in New Jersey and I took a cab here."

"That's, like, a 40 minute drive."

"I know. The fee was ridiculous. You'll be buying everything for a while," he said, playfully.

"I don't care, as long as you're here with me."

"Good to know," he said, hugging her tighter.

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After a cab ride filled with happy chatter, (and Lizzie pointing out how hard it was snowing numerous times) the couple headed up to Lizzie's apartment. "Oh, Gordo!" Lizzie said in a sing-song voice. She gestured up at the mistletoe.

"No," Gordo shook his head. She looked confused until he got down on one knee. Lizzie's hands covered her mouth. To say that she was shocked was a _huge _understatement. "Lizzie McGuire, this is my Christmas present to you," he opened the ring box to reveal a diamond ring. "And you better like it because it's non-refundable," he added jokingly, but then changed back to a serious tone of voice. "Will you marry me?"

Lizzie nodded; this time she _was _crying tears of joy. Gordo slipped the ring on her finger and they embraced. "Gordo?" Lizzie asked after a moment.

"Yeah?"

"Can we kiss now?" Gordo laughed and kissed her lips. They were together again at last.

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Lizzie leaned back into Gordo's chest and listened to the fire crackle in her fireplace. "Gordo…what if this doesn't work out? I mean…what about college, and where would we live?"

"Are you having second thoughts?"

"No, never! Just…I don't want to ruin your future."

"Liz, I was the one who proposed to _you_, remember?" He laughed. "You're all that I want. And we'll figure everything out later. Right now I just want to relax." Gordo wrapped his arms around Lizzie then.

"Gordo, is that mistletoe over there?" She suggested playfully, gesturing to the front door.

"We don't need it," Gordo said, and kissed her. "Merry Christmas, Lizzie," he said after he pulled away.

"Merry Christmas, Gordo."

**A/N: Well, I thought that was cute. ^^ Come back tomorrow. :) **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Yay! December 2****nd****! This is the first songfic in this story, so tell me what you think! ^^ The song is "It's Not Christmas Without You" by Katharine McPhee. By the way, all the gibberish you saw in the last chapter was supposed to be reminding me where to put a division bar…I guess it didn't work very well. Just wanted to let you know, though. **

* * *

><p><em>*Year's almost over<br>Sure looks like December  
>The snow and ice on the ground<br>I haven't sent a single Christmas card*_

Lizzie McGuire's boots clacked on the wet pavement. Shopping bags in hand, she passed several Salvation Army bell-ringers, casting her gaze on the ground. After slipping on the ice, she slowed to a walk. The 23 year old glanced in every store window. His new movie was everywhere. It was almost unbearable that he had done so well without her.

_*The 31st is coming around  
>It makes me remember our last December<br>How the city looks so beautiful in white  
>As we walked the streets that day you kept me warm<br>We couldn't wait to get inside*_

The cold air began to nip at Lizzie's nose, and she dashed inside her apartment. She chucked the bags down onto the bed and looked out the window. Snow was beginning to fall. She shut the blind. Looking at her dresser, she saw picture frames. The two of them together. She turned them all over so she wouldn't have to see them.

_*Now it's Christmas and you're so far away  
>On this Christmas I just wish you had stayed<br>And I wonder if you're thinking of me today  
>I don't know what I'll do, it's not Christmas without you*<em>

Lizzie ventured out into the living room. She hadn't put up a tree that year. She hadn't strung colorful lights from her balcony railing. She felt so lost without him. He had always loved December; all the holidays that came with it, the snow, the good food. Just the general feel in the air. She had always loved celebrating with him, too. Now she wasn't so sure.

_*I hear carols in the distance  
>Don't want to listen cause every sound says you're not here<br>Just in case you change your mind I'll leave a light over the door  
>And hope you suddenly appear*<em>

Bored, Lizzie turned on the radio, clicking through every station. Christmas, Christmas, Christmas. What about the people like her that weren't celebrating? What could they listen to? _Forget it,_ she thought, _I'm pretty much in the minority, here._

She remembered him leaving. Going away. "I promise I'll be back," he had said. "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I have to take it." She had been supportive. Hugged him goodbye, wished him luck. Now she wished she had held onto him and refused to let go. As the sun dipped low in the sky, Lizzie closed her blinds and turned on the porch light…just in case.

_*'Cause it's Christmas and you're so far away  
>On this Christmas I just wish you had stayed<br>And I wonder if you're thinking of me today*_

She entered her bedroom and threw herself onto the mattress. She closed her eyes, trying to block out all the memories. It had been a year…he wouldn't be back now. He probably met some gorgeous actress in Hollywood on his movie set. Lizzie bet that they were already married with a kid on the way. That's how things always seemed to go in Hollywood.

_*I don't know what I'll do, it's not Christmas without you  
>I'm too old to believe in Santa Claus<br>Or to leave a list under the tree*_

She had watched his movie and emailed him about it. She told him that it was fantastic, and about how proud she was when his name scrolled across the screen. David Gordon: movie director. _Congratulations, _Lizzie thought bitterly. He had never responded. The movie had been out for a while now…why didn't he just come home? Tears began to fall from Lizzie's cheeks. She was so lost in her silent reverie that she didn't hear the front door creak open.

_*But I did this once  
>Or maybe it's a dream, or has he really brought you back to me<br>It's Christmas  
>All I wanted this year*<em>

"Lizzie?" A voice called out from the living room. "Lizzie, I'm home!" Lizzie darted out of her bedroom and straight into his arms.

"Gordo!" She screamed, hugging him close. She swore she would never let go again. "I didn't think you'd ever come back!"

"You know I wouldn't be able to stay away from you." She giggled into his shoulder.

_*On this Christmas was for you to be near  
>I won't wonder if you're thinking of me 'cause you're here<br>My one wish has come true, it's no longer Christmas without you*_

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Okay, that was really short, so I combined two songfics. This song is "Driving Home for Christmas" by Chris Rea.**

_*I'm driving home for Christmas  
>Oh, I can't wait to see those faces<br>I'm driving home for Christmas, yea  
>Well I'm moving down that line*<em>

"How about, 'I came to save you'?" Asked a co-worker, sliding some papers out of files and looking at his notes.

"Jake! This is the most exciting part of the movie! We can't use such a cliché line!" David "Gordo" Gordon exclaimed.

"Sorry, boss." Gordo hadn't meant to sound so harsh, but as the director and executive producer of this movie, he wanted it done right.

"It's okay. Anyone have any better ideas?" Silence. "Okay…meeting's over. Go home and have a good holiday." Everyone headed out the door. Anne, a girl who had lately become particularly interested in Gordo came to his side.

"Aren't you going to go home for Christmas?" she asked Gordo, looking up at him.

"No," Gordo said, gathering his folders. "I'm going to stay here and work on this scene. Plus, I'm Jewish. You know that, Anne."

"But surely you must have some family or friends that aren't."

Gordo was silent for a moment before answering, "No one I need to go see."

"Well," Anne said, bumping up against Gordo as they walked, "If you get lonely, you can always come spend some time with me." Gordo willed himself not to roll his eyes.

"Thanks. See you later, Anne." He turned and walked into his office. Touching his fingers to his temples, he got to work.

_*And it's been so long  
>But I will be there<br>I sing this song  
>To pass the time away*<em>

In the end, Gordo ended up using Jake's line. He couldn't concentrate enough to come up with a better one. Gordo glanced at the picture frame on the corner of his desk. It was a picture of him and Lizzie at their high school graduation. They had their arms wrapped around each other, and they were beaming, staring off in the direction of the camera. Gordo looked up at the digital clock. One PM. _I could go, _he thought, _I could get there in time for the Christmas Eve party. _He gathered up his papers and left for home. He hastily threw clothes into a suitcase and got back in the car. It would be about a four hour drive to Hillridge from where Gordo was, so he would make it to the McGuire's house at about five o'clock or so. The party would have already started by then, but Gordo figured everyone would still be happy about his guest appearance. Had it really been six years since he had been home? Six years since he had seen Lizzie? He had been out of college for about two years now, and was directing movies. The current film he was working on would be his second major motion picture. He loved directing, he really did, but looking back on his late teen years, Gordo began to wish he had stayed behind in Hillridge. Maybe then he and Lizzie would still be talking to each other. But no matter, Gordo decided, this was the perfect opportunity to make it all up to her. He was going home.

_*Driving in my car  
>Driving home for Christmas<br>It's gonna take some time  
>But I'll get there.*<em>

Dark began to close in around Gordo, and he flipped on his headlights. Billboards framed the freeway with an eerie sort of glow, and Gordo began reading about the lottery, new beauty products, and credit scores while he drove to keep himself from getting bored. This was taking longer than he had planned. Who knew the traffic would be so bad on Christmas Eve? A growl emitted from his stomach, and Gordo took the next exit to go get some fast food. He pulled into a Wendy's parking lot after deciding it was the best thing available. He ordered, got his food and sat down at the empty counter. He dangled his feet off of the extra-tall chair. He had hit his growth spurt around the time he was sixteen, but was still well under six feet. A plump man plopped down a burger on the counter and lifted himself into the chair next to Gordo. "Nice to see ya. What is a young fella like you doing here on Christmas Eve?" Asked the man, unwrapping his burger.

Gordo decided on an answer. "Don't celebrate Christmas," he said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Jewish? Hindu? Or what?"

"Jewish…" Gordo said, wondering why this guy cared so much.

"Ah. My ancestors were all Jewish. I myself prefer to be nothing. You're not from around here, are you?"

"How could you tell?"

"You're in a hole-in-the-wall sort of town, but you're wearing a suit and tie. No one dresses like that around here."

"Oh."

"Where you headed off to?"

"Hillridge."

"What's in Hillridge?"

Gordo pursed his lips. He was almost done with his food. All he had to do was finish and get out of here, away from this guy…_quickly._ "A friend of mine."

"They know you're coming?"

"No. I left that town a long time ago, and haven't gone back. I figured I'd surprise her."

"Oh. Got it. Was this girl a good friend of yours?"

"All the way up until college. Listen, I best be going…"

"Let me give you some advice first. She's not just going to forgive you if you suddenly show up. It won't just make everything magically better. Go all out, and be sensitive. She probably misses you."

"Thanks. Uh, merry Christmas."

"You too, boy. You too."

_*Top to toe in tail lights  
>Oh, I got red lights all around<br>But soon there will be a freeway  
>Get my feet on holy ground.*<em>

Christmas lights lined the houses with cheer, and a little bit of slushy snow was starting to fall. He was home. Finally, Gordo was home. He parked his Mustang in front of his destination. For a moment, he was content to just sit and look through the window at the smiling faces inside. Then he saw Lizzie, sitting on the couch, facing the window. Gordo finally got out and rang the bell. Soon he had a beaming Lizzie wrapped in his arms. "You came home," she said, pulling away and smiling.

"Yeah," he said, "I came home." Lizzie pulled her coat over her shoulders and they went out to talk. Lizzie trudged over the frosty grass to lean on Gordo's car. "I missed you," Gordo said, breaking the silence. Lizzie blew out a strong breath and watched it dance in the chilly air.

"Gordo, did you honestly think that after six years, you could come back in some fancy car and everything would be okay?" She slapped her fist down on the side of the blue Mustang.

"No. That's why I got you this." He pulled a long box out of his pocket. "I got it on the way here. It's from Nickel Town." She curled her nose at the unfamiliar town name, but smiled just the same and took the box from Gordo.

"It's beautiful," Lizzie said dryly, glancing at the diamond necklace in the box. "But you spent way too much."

"No, I wanted to get you something special." Suddenly Lizzie pulled the bow off the box and stuck it to Gordo's tie. "What the…what are you doing?" Lizzie leaned her head back and laughed. Her hazel eyes shone with the many colors of the Christmas lights on the house behind her.

"I told you, you spent _way _too much." She put her index fingers through his belt loops and pulled him close enough to rest her head on his chest. "You're all I wanted for Christmas."

"Good to know," Gordo said, wrapping his arms around her. "So, what did you get me?" He asked jokingly. Lizzie sighed. She took the bow back and pinned it onto her coat. It fell to the ground almost immediately, though, seeing as the adhesive on the back was beginning to wear off.

"I'm your present."

"Good. You always know just what to get me, McGuire."

_*So I sing for you  
>Though you can't hear me<br>When I get through  
>And feel you near me<br>I'm driving home for Christmas  
>Driving home for Christmas*<em>

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Okay…hope you liked. Now I'm off to my school dance. See ya, and please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: December 3****rd****! Chapter three! Enjoy! By the way, thanks for all the reviews, guys! I don't have time to do shout outs right now, but please know that I really enjoy reading all your comments!**

33 year old Lizzie McGuire sat on her windowsill, staring out into the backyard of her house. She was in Phoenix, Arizona, divorced with custody of all 3 kids. Not exactly how she wanted her life to be; although she never expected to be a school teacher, either. Lizzie had always dreamed of having a loving husband and settling down in a city she loved. Don't misunderstand, Lizzie thought that Phoenix was just fine… if you liked the desert. But Lizzie herself needed snow. Her family had always driven up to a ski resort for Christmas break when she was younger, and Lizzie loved the snow. She ventured over to her dresser and picked up the snow globe she had gotten as a Christmas Present one year. She gave it a shake and watched as the glittery morsels fell onto the tiny, glass children and man. Lizzie had always imagined this as her husband and kids. Now she knew that she couldn't trust her husband, the evil bastard.

A squeal emitted from outside, and Lizzie turned to see her youngest, Maria, stuck in a pricker bush. Lizzie jogged down the stairs and outside to her kids. Jake, the oldest, was pulling on Maria's corduroy pants, trying to unstick her. "Jake," Lizzie said gently, taking the 9 year old's hand off and putting it by his side, "Don't pull. You'll rip her pants." Four year old Maria sat there whimpering while her mother carefully unwound her pants. Lizzie scooped Maria up just as the doorbell rang. _My life as a busy mom, _Lizzie thought, racing back inside and to the front door.

"Noah." Lizzie said, clearly surprised to see her ex-husband by the door. "Go play," she told Maria, putting her down. The child scampered off. "What are you doing here, Noah?" Lizzie and the kids hadn't seen Noah in nearly two years, due to the full-time custody Lizzie won over the kids, (for reasons she wouldn't like to get into) and they were all slowly adjusting to their nice, quiet new life. He had no right to come back and stir it all up again.

"I came to drop off the kids' Christmas presents." Seeing the confused look on Lizzie's face, Noah continued, "They _are _my kids, too, remember?"

"You have court orders not to see them. How did you even find my house? I'm unlisted." Lizzie said, stepping out onto the porch as her curious children tried to peek around her legs. She closed the door behind her and folded her arms.

"God damn it, Lizzie! I try to be considerate and all you give me is crap!"

"I didn't give you any crap, Noah! Just get the hell outta here! We're just getting used to you being gone…damn it, Noah, you can't come crawling back here with gifts and act like you've never hurt us, like you've been the best husband and dad in the world! I _have _the scars to prove the pain I've been through!" Lizzie rolled up her sleeves to reveal several gash marks on her arms. "There're more," she added bitterly.

"Screw you, Lizzie McGuire. _Screw you._" Noah slammed the gift bags down on the porch and stalked off to his car. Lizzie took a moment to calm herself and then hid the gifts behind a large planter. She'd get rid of them when the kids were asleep later. She opened the door only to see all three of her kids, ears to the door.

"How long have you been there?" Lizzie asked.

"Only a minute, Mom," Ellie (the middle child) said, always the responsible one. Especially so for a six year old.

"Go play, kids, please." Lizzie whispered, trying to keep her voice steady.

"Mom, are you okay?" Jake asked, holding onto his mother's hand. She ruffled his hair.

"I'm fine, kiddo."

"Was that dad out there?" Jake was really the only one who could truly remember what his father had done.

"Jake!" Lizzie hissed, "Don't start with that, now! Go play." She gave him a little shove towards the door. He grabbed his sisters' hands and they took off to the backyard.

Lizzie slowly made her way back upstairs. Shaking the snow globe, she made a wish. _Please let there be snow this Christmas. Please give me peace of mind and…help Noah. He doesn't mean what he does. Can we _please _just have a snow-globe kind of Christmas?_

The doorbell rang again. Lizzie snuck down the stairs. Unfortunately, Jake had beaten her to the door. "Jake, honey, you're not supposed to answer the door, you know that." Lizzie said, peeking around the edge of the door. "Gordo," she breathed, tears instantly coming to her eyes. Gordo had disappeared out of everyone's lives for a few years, but had come back to go to Lizzie's wedding. After learning that it was an abusive relationship, Gordo had quietly slipped out of Lizzie's life, just like she had asked. After the divorce, Lizzie had hired a nanny to care for the children while she went job-hunting. She and Gordo would have secret meetings after Lizzie's job interviews. He had started coming to the house everyday a few months ago when he moved back to town permanently. But he and Lizzie always managed to sneak away from the children to the front yard to talk in private. Lizzie hadn't introduced the kids to Gordo yet; she thought they weren't ready for a man to be in their lives again, yet.

"Who's that, Mommy?" Jake tugged on Lizzie's shirt.

"I'll be back, honey. Go back out." Lizzie closed the door and followed Gordo down the path. They sat in the grass, Gordo patiently waiting for Lizzie to tell him what had happened to make her so shaken up. "Noah came to visit," Lizzie said, letting the tears fall silently. Gordo didn't reach out to touch her; she had been so skittish after Noah had started hurting her. He just sat there, offering a silent sympathy. However, when Lizzie forced herself into his arms, soaking his shirt with salty tear-drops, he didn't object. He held her tight, rocking back and forth slightly. "Gordo, I'm sorry. This isn't your problem, it's mine. How does he always manage to find me?"

Gordo cupped her face with his hand, speaking for the first time since he had arrived that day. "You know I'll always protect you and the kids, right? You know I'd never hurt you?" Lizzie nodded. "Liz, I want to be in their lives this Christmas. I need to meet them."

"Gordo-'' she started, only to be cut off.

"No, listen. I'll love and protect them like they're my own. You know you can't hide them from every man forever. They don't remember what their father did to you all. They can learn to trust me like they trust you."

"Jake. Jake remembers what happened. He has scars, too." Gordo touched her sleeve almost instinctively; he knew where the scars were. They had been there for a long time, and he hated them with a passion. He didn't know how anyone could hurt someone like Lizzie and her kids. "I believe that Noah loves his children, I really do, Gordo. He doesn't know what to do with them though."

"I'm sure he loved you too, Liz."

"Maybe he just didn't know what to do with me either."

"Lizzie, let me meet them. Please. I can't go on hiding behind their backs like this anymore. They know we're out here. They know that I'm your friend. They want to know who I am."

"No, Gordo, no. I can't do it, not yet."

"Look at how far you've come. When we first met up again, you wouldn't let me touch you. Now I'm holding you. You wouldn't tell me about anything that happened. Now I know it all. You told me everything. You can take this next step. Let me be their dad for a Christmas."

Lizzie glanced up and down the street, purposely avoiding her friend's eyes. The colorful holiday lights were breaking through the cloudy day, haunting Lizzie. She wanted so desperately to let Gordo into her children's lives, but she was scared. She knew that Gordo wouldn't hurt them, but the images of Noah beating all of them up and being completely helpless kept coming back into her mind. She had tried so hard to stop Noah, pushed him, threw things at him, punched him, and even fled to the police multiple times. Noah was always gone by the time she could get all the kids to the police office and come back with an officer. It was like he could turn invisible; no one could ever find him. Lizzie hated feeling so used and helpless. So weak.

"You're strong, Lizzie." Gordo said, as if reading her mind. Lizzie nodded and got up. It was December 24, and here some guardian angel was trying to offer her some magic, what was she doing avoiding it? The wind tossed their hair around as they walked to the door. "It might snow tonight. It's been chilly all day."

"Oh, come on, Gordo. It hasn't snowed in years here." She opened the front door.

"Just repeating what the weathermen said."

"Never trust your local weathermen."

"A word for the wise, I suppose. I'll remember that…_if _it doesn't snow tonight."

Lizzie rolled her eyes. "Jake, Ellie, Maria. Come meet someone."

The kids came in from the backyard and met Lizzie and Gordo in the foyer. Lizzie gently slipped her hand into Gordo's. "Kids, this is Gordo. He's my best friend."

"I thought I was your best friend, Mommy." Ellie said.

"I can have more than one. And it's Christmas, the season to make everyone feel special."

"Hi, Jake. I heard you like Hot Wheels cars?" Gordo dug around in his pocket and pulled out a mini racecar. "For you," he handed it to the boy.

"Whoa, thanks!" Jake said, running off with the car.

"Ellie, Maria. I also heard that you two like finger puppets." He handed each girl a small animal puppet. "Maybe you can put on a puppet show for me and your mom to watch?"

"Yes, sir!" Maria said, she and her older sibling going upstairs to their room.

"Where'd you get all those?" Lizzie asked.

"Santa's workshop." He announced, in case any kids were in ear-shot. He turned to look around the house, his eyes lingering on the sliding glass doors leading out to the backyard. "Lizzie, look outside."

"Snow?" Lizzie said, unbelieving. She stepped outside and scooped a thin layer of white off the dead grass. "Snow! Kids, get your coats! Come out here!" The kids came racing out. Gordo showed them how to make little snowballs and mini snowmen while Lizzie headed inside to make hot-chocolate. She secretly went down to the basement and took out extra Christmas decorations. She hung a sprig of mistletoe in the doorway. No way was she going to miss out on this chance.

After dinner and opening presents, Lizzie and Gordo put Ellie, Jake, and Maria to bed so Santa could come. "Gordo, would you light a fire?" Lizzie asked, plugging in the lights on the Christmas tree.

"Sure." Gordo threw in some firewood, crumpled wrapping paper, and lit it all. He then fell back onto the couch, tired from running around that afternoon.

Lizzie dimmed the lights and brought out two glasses of egg-nog. She handed one to Gordo and curled up next to him. "I can't believe I was going to let the kids miss out on this afternoon."

"Selfish you," Gordo joked. That earned him a punch on the arm.

"Do you believe in Christmas miracles?"

"Yes," he pulled Lizzie into his arms.

"Gordo?"

"Mhmm?"

"Is that mistletoe over there?" Lizzie gestured to the door.

"Do you want it to be?"

"That doesn't matter. If it _is _mistletoe, and we just so happen to stand under it, we have to kiss, right?"

"Right."

"Maybe we should go turn off the Christmas lights outside?"

"I like your plan, McGuire." Gordo said, standing up and taking Lizzie's hand. On the way to unplug the lights, they lingered in the doorway. Gordo slowly bent down and let their lips touch. Gently at first, but with more passion a moment later. Lizzie pulled away after a few seconds. "You know I've always had feelings for you, right?" Gordo asked.

"Now I know. Did you know that you have made my 'snow-globe' Christmas complete?"

"Now I know…whatever a snow globe Christmas is." He pulled her out to the yard. They stood in the glow of the Christmas lights, having their own snowball fight in the still falling snow. They both somehow knew that nothing would ever be the same; that they had changed each other's lives in that one day. But they decided not to contemplate it much. After all, you never know what's coming along down the road.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey! Chapter three! Enjoy! Please review, guys! I truly love reading your comments. ^^ **

**In this chapter, **_**italics **_**are flashbacks.**

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><p>"Thank you, please pull up to the window." Lizzie McGuire was on auto-pilot again. At 19 years old, she had always pictured herself going to some college…not working at Burger Buddy. But after an accident which left both her parents dead and Matt in a coma, Lizzie was trying to rake up the cash to pay for hospital bills. Burger Buddy was better than a street corner. "Have a nice day, sir." Lizzie handed her last bag of food out the drive through window and turned to lock up for the day. It was December 24, Christmas Eve, and she wanted to go spend it with Matt. Gripped by the cold, Lizzie wrapped her arms tighter around herself, wishing she had thought to bring her jacket with her that morning. She began running. It was 6:30 PM, and she needed to get to the bookstore before it closed. She dashed in right before the owner flipped the sign from "Open" to "Closed." "I'll be fast," Lizzie promised, heading for the children's section. She picked out a nice, crisp copy of <em>'Twas the Night Before Christmas<em> and rushed back up to the counter.

"For your kid?" The clerk asked as he scanned the book, trying to be somewhat personable.

"No. My brother. How much do I owe you?"

"10 dollars even." Lizzie reached into her wallet and looked for the bills.

"Don't hate me for this," she said, pulling out a five dollar bill and several pennies. The clerk chuckled and sorted out the coins. Lizzie grabbed the book and turned to leave.

"10 dollars. Have a merry Christmas, miss." Lizzie froze in her tracks. Christmas meant nothing to her anymore. Her parents had been dead for less than a month, and Matt was in the hospital. It already looked like he wasn't going to wake up, and this had always been his favorite holiday. She walked out the door. She heard a voice calling her name, but kept walking briskly, trying to escape the cold. Footsteps came up behind her, and a coat was draped over her shoulders. Lizzie screamed, startled.

"Didn't mean to scare you. I called your name, but you didn't stop." Gordo said, looking into Lizzie's hazel eyes. They began to cloud over with tears.

"I didn't hear you," Lizzie fibbed, removing his coat and returning it to him.

"Keep it. I'm actually kind of warm," he said, helping her back into the jacket. She ran a hand over his goose-bumpy arm absentmindedly. Gordo shivered under her touch, and nudged her, urging her to keep walking. "I've got my car parked right over here." He fished around in his pockets and pulled out his keys. He and Lizzie got in, and Gordo put the little, old Toyota into drive.

"When did you become so brilliant, Gordo?" Lizzie asked, swiping some dust off the dashboard. Okay, maybe it wasn't a fantastic car, but at least Gordo _had _a car.

"Well, I like to think that I've always been brilliant," he joked, "but what exactly are you talking about?"

"You have a life. A good job, a car, a nice apartment. You're going to college."

"I hate my job. I only stay for the money. My car is old and almost dead, and I never wanted a penthouse apartment where I live next door to a drummer. He keeps me up all damn night long." When he was answered by silence, Gordo added, "But I like my life, I guess. It's funny how you can be so far from where you wanted, but it's exactly where you're meant to be. Everything happens for a reason."

"Why, then?" Lizzie demanded, breaking down and sobbing. "Why did this happen? My parents didn't deserve that! Matt didn't deserve it! He's almost dead, Gordo. _Dead._"

"I don't know why that accident happened, Lizzie, but I can guarantee this: your parents' dying wish was for you to be happy, and Matt's will be the same. They don't want you to be unhappy. They'd hate to see you like this. But you have to have hope." She shook her head and glanced up at the roof of the car.

Covering her eyes, she announced, "There's no hope left. He probably won't even be alive tomorrow."

"He's Matt. When has he ever missed out on a Christmas dinner?" Lizzie slapped him on the arm. "You can't lose faith. Didn't you ever learn about the whole baby-in-a-manger-savior-son-of-God story?"

"I never really learned anything about Christmas. Except that it's good to give people gifts and to donate to the poor."

"Well, it's also Jesus's birthday."

"I know."

"And Jesus gave people hope. You should have hope on his birthday."

"Why do you know all this? You're not even Christian."

"Yeah, but he was Jewish." She sighed and shook her head.

"Why are you telling me all this? I don't care about Christmas or anything, okay? Let's just go to the hospital and see Matt, and drop all this crap."

"It's not crap. Maybe you need to start believing in this stuff." He shrugged.

"Why would I need to do that?"

"Because everyone needs something to believe in."

"I believe in lots of things."

"Oh yeah? Like what?"

"Like…Santa Claus, and reindeer…and, I believe in you Gordo. You can do anything."

"Thanks. But notice that Matt wasn't on that list?" She nodded. Gordo sighed. "Whatever. I tried. Let's just drop it."

"Hello, Lizzie!" Nurse Claudia announced, greeting the blonde with a hug. She took Gordo by surprise and gathered him into her arms, too. "The doctor says that Matt is making a little progress. Why don't you two go on in and see him?"

"Thanks, Claudia." Lizzie led Gordo down the hallways she had memorized so long ago. It was like a maze to Gordo, hard to decipher, but to Lizzie it was as easy as singing the alphabet. They turned into room 113. Lizzie plopped down into one of the chairs and smiled. She brushed some hair out of Matt's face. "Hey, brother. Look what I brought. Your favorite Christmas book." She began to read from the book, silent tears sliding down her cheeks. Gordo stood beside her with his hand on her shoulder for moral support. "Well…that's that." Lizzie laid the book next to him. She stood up and kissed her brother's warm forehead. Just as they were about to leave, the boy began to twitch. First just his hand, then his leg, then all of him. His eyelids fluttered rapidly. Lizzie dove for the button to call a nurse. Claudia came into the room. She glanced over at Lizzie, who was too choked up to speak. She just helplessly pointed at her 17 year old brother. The look in her cloudy eyes gave her the look of a young, lost child. Claudia went to Matt's aid. His eyes opened.

"He's awake!" Claudia announced, glancing at all the monitors briefly to see if everything was in check. A grim look came onto her face. "One of you, go get the doctor! Hurry!" Gordo ran out of the room and over to the doctor's station. The doctor instructed everyone to leave the room.

"Lizzie, wait!" Matt's voice said, slightly high pitched and raspy. He held out his hand. Lizzie took it into hers and looked at him, so tiny and frail in his hospital bed. His pail skin was almost the color of the bleach white sheets. "Merry Christmas, Lizzie," Matt said, a smile dancing across his face. His eyes slowly closed.

"Merry Christmas, Matt." Lizzie let go and held tightly to Gordo instead. They left and let the doctors do their work. Gordo leaned forward in his chair, eyes closed, hands in loose fists. "Gordo? What are you doing?"

"Saying a prayer."

"But that won't work."

"Just _try _it, Liz. Maybe it'll give you something to believe in. Maybe it _will _work." He opened his eyes and turned to her. He looked just as sad as she was, and tears were beginning to fill his eyes. Despite all this, Gordo chuckled. It quickly left, and Gordo rubbed his wet eyes. "You know, he's always been like my little brother, too." Lizzie reached over and gripped Gordo's hand. He had always been the strong one in their friendship; Lizzie decided that maybe it was time for her to be strong for a change.

"Miss McGuire?" A doctor came out of room 113.

"Yes?" Lizzie said, squeezing Gordo's hand tightly. They both stood up and faced the doctor.

"When Matthew woke up from his coma, his heart began to fail. He slipped back into a coma. We're going to keep a close eye on him, but there's not a whole lot we can do. We just have to wait and hope. You may visit him, if you like, while we wait."

"Thank you." Lizzie and Gordo went back to the hospital room. Lizzie went over to the bedside while Gordo stood awkwardly by the door, watching her. "Matt, Matt, Matt." Just saying his name made Lizzie's voice crack. She took a deep, steadying breath. "You have so much to live for. You and Melina haven't gone to Prom together yet. You haven't seen the Hollywood sign, or gone to Hawaii. You haven't played football at UCLA yet, and you _still _haven't gotten an 'A' on a midterm paper." She snickered. "But I guess that all won't really matter in the long run, right? I guess you should be focusing on all the things you _did _instead of what you didn't do, huh? Maybe I should learn how to do that, too." She touched his hand. "I love you, Matt, I really do. Even though we used to fight and make fun of each other. Don't ever forget that I love you." Willing herself to let go and move on, Lizzie finally forced herself out of the room. Gordo then went over to Matt. For once in his life feeling speechless, he stood there biting his lower lip and staring at Matt.

Finally finding his voice, Gordo grabbed Matt's hand and whispered, "Hang in there, buddy." He squeezed Matt's hand and left to follow Lizzie.

After hours of waiting, the doctor came back out of Matt's room, sweat dripping down his furrowed brow. The doctors had gone rushing into the hospital room several minutes ago. "Miss McGuire." Lizzie and Gordo stood again. Gordo wrapped his arms around Lizzie, preparing for the worst but hoping for the best. "Matthew's heart began to fail again, and despite our efforts..." he faltered. This part of his job would never get easier, no matter how many years of doing it he had under his belt. "I'm sorry to announce that Matthew McGuire passed away this evening. Time of death: 10:06 PM. Age: 16 years, 7 months and 12 days." Lizzie had had an idea of what was going on, but hearing it out loud was devastating. Her knees felt weak and gave out. She sat there on the floor, sobbing. Gordo knelt down beside her and held her close. They sat there for the longest time, holding each other. By the time that they got back into Gordo's car, Gordo's shirt collar was soaked with Lizzie's tears, and Lizzie's face was drenched in smeared makeup. Gordo sat behind the wheel, finally letting his tears fall. They still hadn't left the parking lot.

"Lizzie," Gordo pleaded, attempting to make her feel better, "why don't you come home with me? We can spend Christmas together. Watch some movies, play games, whatever you want."

"Can you take me home for a while, first? I might drop by later."

"Okay. Whatever's best."

"That would be best."

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><p>Lizzie threw herself down onto the couch in her parents' old house. She was trying to sell the house to get some money for Matt's hospital bills, but no one had even asked for a tour yet. Tears were still falling, as Lizzie sat there, gazing at the tree. Memories flooded back.<p>

_Lizzie was 7 and Matt was 4. They were lying next to each other under the tree, gazing up at the light-clad branches. It was one of their civil moments. "Look," Lizzie said as a light bulb flickered and then went out. Lizzie rose to her knees and tried to fix it. Twisting and pulling at the light, she sighed, disappointed in herself. _

"_Here, let me help," Matt said. He pulled on the light…hard. The whole tree went out. "Oops."_

"_It's okay," Lizzie said, turning to leave, "We just won't tell Mom what happened." Matt nodded in silent agreement. _

Lizzie laughed, remembering how young and ignorant they had been. As if their mother wouldn't have noticed the very dark tree. There was this other time…

_Lizzie wandered around the mall, towing Matt behind her. The fourteen year old was looking for Christmas presents for Gordo and Miranda. "I can't believe Mom made me bring you along," she puffed hot air at her bangs. Matt shrugged. _

"_I need to get presents for people, too. No sense in Mom having to drive out here again."_

"_Whatever. What do you think Gordo would like for Christmas?"_

"_He likes lava lamps."_

"_I know. I got him one last year. I'll think of something." Changing the subject, "Matt, what do you want for Christmas?"_

"_You don't have to get me anything."_

"_I want to." _

"_Well, there's this really cool video game at the video store, and I was really hoping for it."_

"_What's it called?"_

"'_The Slayer'."_

"_Hmm…well, I can't come back to the mall to get it…so if we go buy it together right now, will you act surprised on Christmas morning?"_

"_Yes! Thanks, Liz!" He drew his sister up into a hug. She patted his back awkwardly. _

"_You're welcome, Matt."_

As she sat there reminiscing , Lizzie began to realize that the memories were taking some of the pain away. She reached for a Kleenex just as a final Christmas memory flooded into her mind.

_17 year old Lizzie sat by the Christmas tree, untangling garlands to put on it. Matt came and plopped down next to her. "Everything okay?" He asked after Lizzie didn't shoot some insult at him._

"_Yeah." _

"…_You sure don't sound okay."_

_Lizzie sighed, wondering why she was about to dish about her love life to her little brother. He was 14. He didn't even truly have a love life, himself. He wouldn't be able to help. "Gordo's mad at me."_

"_Oh. What did you do?" A playful smile emerged onto his face, lighting up his features. _

"_Nothing! All I did was go on a date with Jason, and when I went to tell Gordo how well it had went, he got mad!" Matt shook his head and laughed. _

"_I can't believe you haven't figured this out already."_

"_Figured what out?"_

"_Can't you tell, Lizzie? He's always there for you, he puts up with your girly talk. But the thing that really gives it away is the way he looks at you. His face immediately lights up."_

"_I don't understand."_

"_Gordo likes you!"_

"_Of course. I'm his best friend."_

"_Not like that." Somewhere else in the house, Jo called out to Matt. "Coming! Think about it," Matt said and patted Lizzie on the shoulder._

Lizzie froze. That was two years ago. Was Matt right? If he was, did Gordo still feel that way? Tears stung Lizzie's eyes again as she thought of Matt slipping away. She didn't want Gordo to slip away, too. A tingle shot through her body as she thought of his blue eyes, his famous half smile, his unruly curls. And all he had done for her. The things he had done for her was priceless. She got up and dashed outside. She ran all the way to Gordo's apartment, cold rain dampening her clothes and hair. She rapped forcefully on the door. Gordo opened the door. "Hey," he said. His eyes were clouded over with tears still, and his cheeks were damped and stained.

"Hi. While I was at home, I realized two things. One, memories are…priceless, and they take away the pain. I need them. And two…" she cut herself off and leaned over to kiss Gordo. He stood stiffly, and Lizzie thought that maybe he didn't feel the same way. "Is that I love you, and you've done so much for me. You really are brilliant, Gordo." Gordo wet his lips absentmindedly. After a moment, he wrapped his arms around Lizzie's waist.

"One, I agree. Memories can help. And two, I love you too. Always have, always will." The grandfather clock inside chimed, signaling it was midnight. "Merry Christmas, Lizzie McGuire."

"Merry Christmas, David Gordon." She pecked his lips affectionately. Just then, a flash of light zoomed overhead. "What was that?"

"Santa's sleigh," Gordo said playfully. Lizzie swatted his arm, but still gave it some thought.

"Maybe." Then she glanced up at the sky. "Merry Christmas, Matt. Merry Christmas."


	5. Chapter 5

Six year old Lizzie McGuire brushed her long, blonde hair back over her shoulders. She smiled at her reflection in the full length mirror. Today was to be a very special day in her short history. It was the first time she was to go take pictures with the mall Santa Claus. All day the little girl had been envisioning marvelous things; the mall decked out with candy canes and garlands, little elf running around everywhere, Santa sitting in a big chair while keeping everything under his watchful eye. "Lizzie!" Jo called from downstairs, "Gordo's here! Hurry up! We don't want to miss Santa Claus!" The little child bounded down the stairs after slipping a small wrapped package into her skirt pocket. Mrs. McGuire was trying to load three year old Matt into the car, and Gordo was waiting patiently at the bottom of the staircase. He already had those long, raven colored curls and striking blue eyes…he also already possessed his logical, sarcastic, sometimes annoying personality.

"Are you ready?" Lizzie nodded. Gordo sighed. "Girls take forever."

Lizzie huffed, but remembering the kind manners she had been taught, smiled and said, "It's really nice of you to come, Gordo, even though you don't believe in Santa." Gordo shrugged.

"It's okay. I figure that a free ice cream will be worth it." The two young kids ran outside and climbed into their car seats. Lizzie glanced dreamily out her window. The clouds were a depressing gray color, threatening to drop tiny snowflakes. Now _that _would be a Christmas Miracle. It hadn't snowed in Hillridge, California in years. Finally inside the mall, Lizzie grabbed Gordo's hand and took off towards the cheery Christmas display in the middle of the walkway. They got in line and stood silently. Well, Gordo stood silently, that is. Lizzie was singing along to the carols booming out of the speakers up above. Running out of breath, Lizzie turned around. Her mom was trying to make her way around the crowd of screaming children. Lizzie took the box out of her pocket and fingered the silky paper. "What's that?" Gordo asked, glancing over her shoulder.

"A present."

"Who's it for?"

"Someone." Gordo, deciding that women were too complicated for him to understand, dropped the subject. The line inched up slowly. Jo came to join the kids, laying a hand on each of their shoulders possessively. Lizzie quickly discovered that if she stood on her tip-toes, she could see Santa interacting with all the other little tots. Elves were handing out candy canes, as well.

It was Lizzie's turn. She shook a little. Gordo patted her shoulder, signaling that it was time to move up. "Why, hello, little girl. And what is your name?" asked Santa, pulling Lizzie onto his wide lap

"Lizzie McGuire."

"Lizzie McGuire, eh? You have got very pretty eyes, Lizzie." Lizzie blushed a bright, rosy red.

"Thank you."

"What do you want for Christmas, Lizzie?"

"A doll would be nice, Lizzie admitted."

"I'll see what I can do." They turned and smiled at the photographer. Lights flashed.

"Santa? One more thing." She handed him the box. Santa opened it to reveal a Barbie charm bracelet, Lizzie's most prized possession at the time.

"Why, thank you! It's quite lovely." Lizzie smiled and went to go join Gordo, Matt, and Jo at the photo pick up stand.

"I'm proud of you, Lizzie. That's what Christmas is all about; giving," Jo said, hugging her daughter close. Gordo nodded in agreement and joined the hug. Then, all three of them headed off to the ice cream shop, Lizzie beaming and humming the whole way. It was truly going to be a very merry Christmas.

**A/N: VERY short, I know. But I was working on my homework all night. :( I know it might be midnight when you see this in your email, but this was posted at 9:50 PM Mountain Time (my time zone) so technically it was still posted on December 5. Come back tomorrow!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: What I hear from my friends this time of season is how much they miss someone who's in the military. I wanted to do something special for them because of this. It must be hard to have someone you love so far away this time of year. I don't have anyone close to me that's in the military, but I certainly know first-hand about missing people…so we'll see how well this turns out. **

**Boris Yeltsin: Yes, I meant "four" a couple of days ago…sorry. Thanks for pointing it out, though!**

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><p>Max stood down below his mother, holding onto the wobbly ladder. "Don't fall, Mom!" he called up. Lizzie jumped, startled by the sudden noise from her son; he had been standing there quietly all morning.<p>

"I won't. Don't worry, sweetie." She clipped the last of the Christmas lights onto the gutter and started her decent down. She ruffled her son's hair and they both looked up at the shining lights happily.

"They look great!"

"Yeah, they do, don't they? Now, come help me put the ladder away. We have some errands to run." Max ran after his mom and helped her wheel the tall wooden ladder away. They both hopped into the car, Lizzie in the driver's seat and 13 year old Max in the passenger seat. He buckled up and stared out the window. Lizzie found her once again missing Gordo when she looked at Max. Other than the fact that his hair was straight like Lizzie's, they were almost identical. Max sported hair the same chocolate brown locks of hair, the same striking blue eyes, and the same crooked half smile. He was really very cute and mature for his young age. But right now, Lizzie's son's blue eyes were clouded over. No smile was plastered on his face like usual. "Max?" Lizzie reached over and touched his arm. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Max replied, nodding. Lizzie was slightly taken aback. Max was never shy about confiding in his mother. Finally, he blurted out, "Mom, we haven't heard from Dad in a month." Lizzie felt a churning in her stomach. The same thought had been nagging at her all week. Gordo didn't usually take this long to respond to a letter. Gordo was away in Asia; he worked in the army.

"I know. But he's just busy, that's all."

"Mom, I'm not a little kid anymore." As if on cue, his changing voice cracked slightly. Lizzie smiled softly. Max cleared his throat and continued. "If something's going on, I need to know, too. I can take it." Lizzie pulled into a parking spot at the mall. They got out.

"If I knew what was going on, I would tell you." Lizzie assured him, locking the car and walking over to the mall.

"Okay. Promise?"

"Of course."

"Good. Why are we here?"

Lizzie giggled, cheerful spirit clearly shining in her hazel eyes. "To see Santa." Max's face fell.

"Santa? Mom, you know that I stopped writing to him like, a year ago, right?" Lizzie nodded.

"I know. But with your dad away this Christmas, I thought we could both use a spirit lifter."

"Okay, but…Santa, seriously?"

"Santa grants wishes." She and Max now stepped into line.

"So…?"

"Well, I want to wish for my husband to have a safe return home."

"I want him to come home, too, but do we really need to see Santa for it? It's so childish." Lizzie rolled her eyes. Teenagers; ugh.

"Do as you please," Lizzie said, handing him a ten dollar bill. "Meet me back here in a few hours. I have some shopping to do, too."

"Okay," Max took the bill, nodding in thanks. He wandered around the mall, window shopping. He wondered what to send to his dad for Christmas. He honestly didn't know. Gordo would probably be happy with a card, though, to keep things simple.

"Max?" A soft, familiar voice asked. Max turned around.

"Rachael." He said fondly, glancing at the brunette next to him. She smiled and his heart nearly melted.

"What are you doing here?" Her green eyes flickered past him to the store window. She was nervous. She had found herself nervous around Max a lot lately.

"Shopping, ya know." She nodded.

"Where's your mom?"

"You won't believe this," Max said, cocking his head. "She's in line to see Santa."

"Really? I just did that a little while ago." Max's eyebrows flew up. "Um, with my little sister of course."

"Mmmm. Are-are you doing anything on Saturday?"

"No…why?"

"Well, I'm not either…do you maybe want to meet here and, I don't know, see a movie or something?"

She smiled, "I'd love to! Is seven o'clock okay?"

"Yeah…I'll see you here."

"Bye," the girl said, dashing off. About an hour had passed, and Max had slowly wandered back over to Santa's line in search of his mother. She wasn't there anymore. Max got a slightly unsettling feeling in his stomach. What if his dad didn't come home…ever? Max didn't know what he would do. Forget him; Lizzie would probably kill herself. She and Gordo had always been so in love. Even after Lizzie found out she was expecting Max at the young age of 17, they had stuck together. Max got in line. Hey, it was worth a shot. Slowly he got to the front of the line. He hesitantly approached Santa.

"Hello, young man." Santa smiled and laughed with gusto. Max smiled and sat down on the man's knee. "Have you been good this year?"

"Yes. But there's someone who's been even more good than me."

"Who's that?"

"He's my dad. He's serving in the military. He always puts other people first, and…that's why he can't be here for Christmas. He's really good to me and my mom, and I'm pretty sure Mom would go with Dad if he died. She just wouldn't be able to handle life without him. I wouldn't be able to, either. I mean, I have my faults; I lose my temper, forget my homework, oversleep; but my dad always helps me through everything. And now he's helping other people, too." Max closed his eyes and sighed. "I guess what I'm saying is…please just keep him safe. I love him too much for him to go."

Santa nodded in agreement and said, "I will do everything in my power to keep you father safe. What's his name?"

"David Gordon."

"And you are…?"

"Max Gordon."

"Well, Max, is there anything else you want for Christmas?" Max stood.

"Nope. That's it." He said his thanks and left in search of his mother again.

* * *

><p>Max carefully lit the next candle on the menorah. Since Gordo was Jewish and Lizzie was Christian, they had decided to celebrate all major holidays and let Max choose his religion later. Hanukkah was overlapping with Christmas this year, so Max couldn't help but feel something magical was going to happen. Frankly, he had always been more interested in the Jewish religion rather than the Christian religion, but he had decided to humor his mother. "All done, buddy?" Lizzie came into the room carrying a plate of cookies.<p>

"Yeah. Mom, when do you think we'll hear from Dad?"

"I don't know."

"He hasn't called us once all Hanukkah. That's his favorite holiday," Max whispered.

"I know, baby."

"So why hasn't he called?"

"Max! I said that I don't know, okay? I miss him just as much as you do!"

"Sorry." Lizzie sighed.

"No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell." Just then the doorbell rang. Max sprang up. "Max! Don't answer the door without me!" Lizzie sprinted after her son. Max rolled his eyes and opened the door. A man with curly brown hair, piercing blue eyes, and a small frame was standing there in a military uniform with a suitcase at his side. For a moment, all the three of them could do was stand and stare. This man had been gone for four months, and now he was back just in time for Christmas.

"Dad?" Max asked, almost unbelievingly. He briefly wondered if his eyes were playing tricks on him.

"Max. Hey, son!" Max threw himself at his father, tears falling from both men's eyes. They patted each other on the backs and smiled. Then Gordo turned to Lizzie. "Merry Christmas, Lizzie." They embraced.

"Merry Christmas, sweetheart. I missed you."

"It's good to be back. Good to be back."


	7. Chapter 7

"I'll be back before Christmas," he had promised, hugging his son and daughter. While the younger child, the boy, had believed his father, the sixteen year old girl had just shook her blonde head. You could only listen to empty promises for so long before they completely lost meaning.

Now, she was right. It was Christmas Eve and Dad was still away. Sometimes she hated being so mature. So smart. So correct all the time. "Harper, come over here please," Lizzie, her mother, called. Harper leaned against the kitchen doorframe.

"What?"

"Hand me the butter, dear. My hands are sticky." Harper surveyed the scene before her. Her mother was making Christmas cookies.

"Isn't it a little late to be doing that?" Harper wandered over to the cupboard.

"Better late than never."

"I'm sure my teacher wouldn't agree if I were to show up to class one minute before the ending bell." Lizzie sighed and watched as Harper dished some butter into the mixing bowl.

"Sometimes I wish you were so much like your father."

"I am _nothing _like Dad!" Harper screeched. "Nothing!" She knew that was a complete and total lie, but she couldn't bring herself to admit that she was anything like the man who always left on "important business trips" and not returning for months.

"You two just think the same way, that's all."

"Mom, do you ever think that maybe he's been cheating on you for all these years? Maybe he has some perfect little family in Ohio or wherever that thinks he's on business trips when he's really here?"

"He would never do that!"

"How do you know? How do any of us really know what he is doing while he's away? He could be getting drunk and picking up random girls every night!"

"Watch it, Harper!"

"I'm just facing the facts!"

"We don't know that anything you said is true!" Harper honestly didn't have a response to that. She stomped off to her room instead. Someone knocked on the door.

"Go away!" Harper screamed, picking up a pillow to use as ammo against the intruder. The door opened. It was her little brother.

"James, just…just leave me alone." Harper set down the pillow and willed herself not to cry.

"You love him, you know. You love Dad or you wouldn't care about what he's doing." James said. For a 13 year old boy, he was mature, and he in his sister were kindred spirits; they always understood each other.

"I know. I just never get to see him anymore."

"You think I don't feel the same way?"

"I never said that." The two were silent. "I love you, James. We've gotta stick together…this time of year especially."

"I love you, too, Harper."

* * *

><p>Harper skipped jollily down the street, package in hand. Her dad had called. He had said that he had just gotten back into town, and to meet him downtown so they could eat lunch together. Harper had wrapped up his present in the best paper she could find, and headed off. Now, as she approached their agreed upon meeting spot, what she saw was terrifying. She stood, brown eyes open wide, staring at the scene before her. She had been right….<em>again. <em>Her father finished kissing the strange lady and then turned around. There he saw his daughter. "Harper," he said, rushing to her. "It's not what it looks like, I swear!" Harper stood there, anger, betrayal, fear, and sadness all flashing across her face. She finally decided on anger. She took the Christmas present she had brought and threw it at her dad. She had quite the arm, too, having played softball since she was seven years old. The box pegged the target right in the face. Harper ran home, wiping her tears and running mascara off her cheeks periodically.

"Harper?" Lizzie asked, seeing her daughter's disheveled state.

"I saw him."

"Who? What did you see?"

"Dad was kissing some woman when I got there." Lizzie's head became foggy. Her husband had cheated on her?

"Maybe it was…"

"Just a friend? No one kisses a friend like that." Lizzie let tears fall, and hugged her daughter close. James came into the room. After the story had been retold to him, no one really felt like it was Christmas anymore.

* * *

><p>"Can I help you?" Harper asked, opening the front door. She had never seen the strange man standing on the other side of the door before. He had dark, curly hair, a small build, and striking blue eyes. He seemed to be about her mom's age; mid-thirties.<p>

"Harper?" the man asked. "You've grown!" Seeing the confusion on the girl's face, the man added, "You don't remember me, do you? I'm Gordo, your mom's friend." He stuck out a hand. Harper shook it.

"Mom?" She called. Lizzie came down the hallway, curious hazel eyes falling on the visitor.

"Gordo?" She asked, excitement flooding onto her face. She practically threw himself into his arms. "What are you doing here?"

"I, um…" he eyed Harper. "Can we talk privately?" Lizzie nodded, and the two headed off into the kitchen, shutting the door behind them. Harper ran to go get James, and they sat there eavesdropping together. "…and when I got there, Harper threw the box at the man and ran off. She looks so much like you, that I thought that it _was _you. I came over tonight to make sure that everything was okay…and now I realize that it was Harper I saw downtown, not you."

"That man she was throwing the box at was my husband, her father. They were supposed to have lunch together, but Harper saw him kissing another woman. I plan to go file for divorce papers as soon as possible."

"God….I'm so sorry, Liz." Harper and James heard the ruffle of clothing as the two adults embraced.

"We'll live. Now, as long as you're here, won't you stay for Christmas dinner?" Gordo laughed.

"Sure. As long as you don't catch the house on fire or anything."

"I'll try not to." Harper and James scattered as Gordo and Lizzie came out of the kitchen. "Kids! Dinner's ready, so come sit down." The siblings did as they were told, but they didn't take too kindly to Gordo. Honestly, they wanted their father back. Harper sat indignantly at the head of the table, picking at her ham and green beans.

"So, Harper, what grade are you in now? I haven't seen you since you were just a baby." Gordo said kindly, remembering how he had been completely kicked out of Lizzie's life because her husband "felt threatened."

"Eleventh."

"Oh. Are you learning how to drive?"

"I have my permit."

"Cool. What about you, James? What grade are you in?"

"I'm in eighth."

"So, you're 14, then?"

"13."

"Oh, oh. You're a year younger than I was in eighth grade. So, what's your favorite subject?"

"Gym."

"Ah, a sports man. I see." Lizzie stood up and grabbed both children by the arms.

Pulling them into the kitchen, she said, "I don't know why you're being so cold! Both of you have been so rude! Gordo's just trying to be nice, and if you open your hearts, you'll see that he's a very nice man! He means a lot to me." Lizzie lowered her voice. "Please." That got the kids to open up. They couldn't bear to see their mother cry any more. They all played board games together that evening, and after the kids were in bed, Lizzie and Gordo sat by the fire.

"How could anyone treat you so badly? Especially around Christmas?" Gordo said, nervously snaking an arm around Lizzie's shoulders. Lizzie sighed.

"I'll be okay. I've gotten used to him being gone, anyway; he'd go on several 'business trips' every year."

"You and your kids are doing great." Lizzie stood to walk Gordo to the door. Standing in the doorway a bit longer than necessary, they leaned together and let their lips meet. Lizzie finally pulled away and opened the door. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas." Gordo turned to leave. "Liz, look! It's snowing!" Deciding he would stay a bit longer, Gordo followed Lizzie down the hall to wake the kids. Snow was a rare occurrence in their town, and the four of them intended to take full advantage of it. Harper and James threw on coats, boots, hats and gloves on over their PJ's. The four people stood out in the front yard, chucking snow back and forth. Gordo hit Lizzie square in the face with a snowball. They both laughed and hugged onto each other. James and Harper stopped and stared, smiles growing across their faces. Christmas was supposed to be the season of giving, and Gordo had once again played the roll of "Knight in Shining Armor" and given that broken family the best gift of all: a second chance.

**A/N: Well that's longer than most of my chapters have been lately. Hope you liked. **


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hey, guys. I know I promised a chapter every day, but I'm sick tonight so I can't write. I'll post the last chapter of this story on the 26 instead of the 25, so I still did 25 chapters. Sorry. I feel really bad that I skipped a day. I hope everyone understands, though. :(**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: OK, I did a songfic about Lizzie missing Gordo, so now how about a songfic about Gordo missing Lizzie? Yeah? Okay, here ya go. **

_*December 1st  
>I'm in a foreign state, I'm running late<br>I'm all alone, wishing I was home with you baby  
>She's got her way of making things okay when she's not around*<em>

Vacant stares filled the Nashville airport. Tired people wanting to go home, dragging little kids behind them, or standing in mile-long lines waiting for Starbucks coffee. David "Gordo" Gordon was dragging himself down the airport aisles. His plain had just landed, and he needed to hail a taxi so he could find his hotel and get some sleep; he had an important meeting early in the morning. Too bad the meeting had to be held on Christmas Eve, though, since the person holding it was going out of town on Christmas day.

_*When she's not around I'm going crazy  
>We like to talk about the plans we make<br>And things we say  
>When we're together I hope for better weather this year*<em>

Gordo waved his arms until a car finally stopped. Throwing his bags into the cab, Gordo got in and shut the door. "The Hilton Hotel on Main Street, please." The hotel room was cold and bare, lacking any character. Gordo flung his suitcase onto the bed and pulled out some pictures. Pictures of him and Lizzie smiling, laughing, opening Christmas presents. In one picture, a particular favorite of Gordo's, they had their arms around each other, beaming at each other. Matt had taken the picture a couple of years ago. Gordo took it with him when he had to go on business trips much like this one. He scattered the pictures around the room, along with old Christmas cards. _There, _he thought, _more comfy._

_*But you my dear need to know  
>This year I want you alone<br>Ho ho hopefully  
>This holiday will make us believe that<br>We're exactly where we're supposed to be*_

The next morning, Gordo adjusted his tie and walked into the tall office building. Three hours of sitting at a conference table pretending to be taking notes, but actually doodling on his notebook pages. "Gordon?" His boss asked. Gordo sat up straight, startled.

"Yes, sir?"

"I think you have other places to be, yes?"

Gordo gestured to his papers absentmindedly. "No, sir. I-I'm good right here." The boss's old eyes sparkled.

"Get outta here. Go home." Gordo stared blankly. "Go on! Get!"

"Really?"

"Yes!" Gordo beamed and gathered up his papers.

"Thank you, sir! Merry Christmas, everyone!" He dashed out the door, and took a taxi back to his hotel. He packed up his bags and headed to the airport. He flew on stand-by back home.

LM LM LM LM LM

_*And we're ho ho hoping that we all come back  
>And as a matter of fact I know we're exactly where we're supposed to be<br>Together by this Christmas tree  
>We go together like the winter and a sweater<br>And she makes me feel,  
>She makes me feel alive inside<br>And when I look into her eyes*_

Lizzie McGuire pulled into her driveway after work. She walked into her empty house. The dog came running down the hallway to greet her, but it wasn't the same as having Gordo there to greet her, too. Lizzie went about her daily chores, tidying up the house a little bit, taking the dog for a walk. When she got home, the lights were on in the house. Lizzie clearly remembered turning those light off. Curiously, she journeyed back into her home. Sitting on the couch as if he had never left, was Gordo. He had the TV on and was flipping through the channels. "Gordo?" Lizzie asked, disbelieving.

"Lizzie?" He stood up, turning to embrace his girlfriend. Lizzie lets happy tears slide down her cheeks.

"What are you doing here? And just in time for Christmas, too."

"I came home to do this," Gordo smiled, getting down on one knee. "I realized that being away from you, especially this time of year, is too hard for me. So, I want to make sure we'll always be together. Will you marry me?" Lizzie simply nodded and watched as Gordo slipped the ring on her long, slender finger.

"Together forever," Lizzie said, beaming. And as snow started to fall onto the dead grass, they ventured out into the backyard. Together.

**A/N: OK, so this is the crappiest thing I have ever written in my life. But I wanted to at least get something up for you guys tonight. I know it's past midnight when you're reading this, but it was posted at 11:55 PM Mountain Time…and since that's where I am, this chapter was still technically posted on December 9. Thank you for all the "get well" wishes. I promise tomorrow's chapter will be better. **


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: So, I'm finally getting around to doing some shout-outs…sorry it took so long. **

**bFishstix: You've posted so many nice comments that I can't pick just one to respond to! Thank you, thank you, thank you, for reading and reviewing my work! I'm glad you enjoy it so much!**

**Bubbles237: You're another person that's been so nice! Thank you for reading! You compliment my work even when I think it sucks…so thank you for that! Lol. Enjoy this chapter!**

**Boris Yeltsin: I most certainly will take ideas for this! I'm starting to run a little low…anything would be appreciated. Thank you for reading! Enjoy!**

**River Tam: Sorry, the confusion in that chapter wasn't intended. I was crazy tired when I was writing that and really had no clue what I was doing. :P You better write that story! I wanna read what you can do with it! :)**

Gordo sat on the couch, hands clasped and eyes glued to the phone. Lizzie was pacing around the room nervously with a tear-stained face. Gordo wanted to offer her some comfort somehow; hold her to make her feel better, kiss her lips…something. He couldn't move, though. Probably for the better; he was sure Lizzie would break down if he touched her. The phone rang and Gordo sprang for it. Even though it wasn't _his _daughter that had gone missing, it was Lizzie's and that made him feel obligated to help find her. "Hello?" Gordo asked. Lizzie walked over and clutched his arm tightly.

"Gordo?" A little voice responded. She sounded so scared and alone.

"Abigail? Sweetheart, are you all right?" Lizzie sighed with relief and tears spilled out of her eyes.

"Yes, I'm fine."

"Do you know where you are?"

"Yes."

"Where?"

"I can't tell you." Lizzie, who had been leaning up against Gordo to hear through the phone receiver, grabbed the phone.

"Sweetie? It's Mommy. I need you to tell me where you are. We can come get you."

"He won't let me tell you."

"Who?"

"_He _won't let me tell you." The line crackled and the call dropped. Lizzie cried out, her knees going weak as she was overwhelmed with grief. Gordo grabbed onto her and hugged her close.

"It'll be okay," Gordo announced, holding Lizzie's trembling body.

"My daughter's gone, we have no clue where she is, and it's Christmas Eve. I don't think that's 'okay,' Gordo," Lizzie said between sobs.

"I didn't say that everything is okay right now, I said that everything _will _be okay."

"And you know this how…?"

"Haven't you ever heard in Christmas miracles?" This comment was met by silence. "Come on, I'm Jewish and even _I _know about Christmas miracles."

"Heard of them, but don't believe."

"Well, we sure as hell need one right now, Liz. Unless…" Gordo let go of his fiancée and looked to the phone. He picked it up and scrolled through the caller ID. "Shit," he muttered. The number was blocked. Gordo couldn't traced it like he had planned to. He sat down and ran his hands through his curls. "Robert!" He shouted after several minutes of silence. He dialed a number.

"Hello?" A voice asked.

"Rob," Gordo said. "I need a favor."

"Gordo? Nice to hear from you, man!"

"Yeah, buddy…I just wish it was under better terms. Listen, do you remember Lizzie?"

"Yeah! How is she?"

"Well, we got engaged about six months ago."

"Congrats!"

"Thanks! Well, her daughter, Abigail has…well, has been kidnapped. We've called the police, and they said they'd send an officer out as soon as they could, but apparently Christmas Eve is a big night for crime."

"That it is."

"Can you help?"

Robert groaned. "Oh, Gordo…it's my night off…"

"May I remind you that I was the one who hooked up you and Martha?" Silence. "Rob?"

"I'll meet you at your apartment in 10."

LM LM LM LM LM

"Have you tried tracing the number?" Robert asked, looking sadly at the bedraggled couple. He could tell that Gordo was trying to be the strong one, but it wasn't working; Gordo looked like he wanted to break down and cry just like Lizzie was.

"It's blocked," Lizzie finally found her voice. It was raspy and cracked from her emotional stress.

"Hmm…"

"Rob," Gordo said, pulling his friend aside, "We've gotta find Abigail. Lizzie can't live without her."

"I know, buddy, I know. I think the best thing at this point would be to go out and look for her ourselves." Robert leaned his hand on his gun. Really, Gordo was quite lucky to have a cop as a friend. "Do you have any suspects?"

"Lizzie…who was that guy…?" Gordo asked, searching for a name.

"That old babysitter? He moved away." Lizzie responded.

"He could have moved back?" Lizzie had had quite a lot of bad luck with babysitters. The one that Gordo had been referring to had tried to take Abigail home with him once. Lizzie shook her head.

"He's in the insane asylum in Detroit. I saw it on the news yesterday…creepy guy."

"God," Gordo muttered, running his hands over his chin. "Who else? Who the hell else?" Robert cleared his throat.

"Erm…if you don't mind me asking…Gordo isn't Abigail's biological…ya know…right?"

"She's not his," Lizzie said, blushing slightly. Gordo got an uncomfortable look on his face. The things that Lizzie's ex had done to his girlfriend and baby were terrible. Ever since he had found out about it, Gordo had been kicking himself for letting Lizzie go in high school. If only she hadn't hooked up with that horrible man…

"Lizzie! Her father!" Gordo yelled. You could almost see the little light bulb go off above his head.

"Oh my God…he couldn't have."

"Didn't he abandon you?" Robert inquired. "Why would he just want the child now, six years later?"

"I don't know," Lizzie admitted, "But you hear about this stuff all the time on the news."

"True, true." Rob said. "Do you have any idea where he lives?"

"I have his address around here somewhere…" Lizzie began digging around in various piles of paper. "Here," she said finally. She pulled a paper out of a folder marked _ABIGAIL._ The three of them piled into Gordo's pick-up truck and headed toward the address scrawled out on the little paper. Suddenly, Gordo began to sing. Lizzie looked over at him from the passenger seat. "What on _Earth _are you doing?" Gordo shrugged his shoulders.

"Singing. Christmas has always been Abby's favorite holiday…don't you think she would want us to sing?" Gordo then continued to belt out the chorus of "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer." Lizzie threw her head back and laughed for the first time that day. Gordo reached over and put his hand on her knee. "Sing, you guys!" The other two adults in the car began to sing, too. Though very off-key, a good vibe was sent through the truck, and Lizzie started to feel like the prayers she had been saying all day might just start to pay off.

LM LM LM LM LM

"She's not here," Lizzie said, as the three of them wandered around the empty house. Rob shined his flashlight at her.

"Don't be so sure." He said, opening another door.

"Guys? I'm going to go check out the backyard." Gordo went outside. A shiver ran down his spine as snow started to fall to the ground. He glanced around the yard. A muffled sound came from the shed. Gordo grabbed a garden rake off of the porch and opened the shed door. A trapped squirrel scurried out. What had they been thinking? Of course Abigail's father wouldn't have brought her to his house. Surely he must have known that Lizzie would find him much too easily. Gordo's cell phone went off.

"Hello?" Gordo answered it.

"Gordon."

"Jacob?"

"Yeah. I have Abigail…and if you want her back, you'll have to meet my demands."

"Demands?"

"I'm holding her until I get the money I want from you."

"How much do you want?"

"More than your sorry ass has."

"I can come up with the money," Gordo said, starting to pace back and forth.

"Why do you even care? She's not your kid, she's _mine._" That was a severe blow to Gordo, and Jacob seemed to know it. He chuckled softly.

"Haven't you ever been in love before, Jacob?"

"Meet me at the town square in an hour. And you better have plenty of cash."

LM LM LM LM LM

Gordo gripped the cash in his hand. He had left Jacob's house with the excuse that he had left something important at home. He had grabbed all of his mother's gold jewelry that she had left in his name when she had unexpectedly died a few years back. He had then taken it to a gold appraiser (another friend of his) and sold everything. He prayed that $5,000 dollars would be enough. If not, though, he had taken all of his savings out of the bank at the ATM machine on the way over. $15,000 dollars in total. Abigail was worth every penny. A figure came waltzing over in the dark. It was Jacob; Gordo could tell just by the way he walked.

"You got the money?" Jacob asked, sucking on the edge of his cigarette. Gordo nodded. "How much?"

"Is $5,000 enough?" Gordo asked hopefully.

"I want all the money you have."

"All of it?"

"_All _of it." Gordo handed over the $15,000 dollars. Jacob flapped his arms, and Abigail came out of a car parked nearby. She came running over to Gordo and gave him a big hug. Gordo began to cry, the tears soaking her soft hair as he picked her up. She smelled like the smoke of Jacob's car, but she was smiling big. She was the same little girl she had been hours ago, despite the tragic experience she had just been through.

"Let's go home," Gordo said. Abigail climbed into Gordo's truck. With a sudden burst of courage, Gordo grabbed Jacob's collar and pulled him close. Gordo stood up on tiptoe to be at eye level with the taller man. "Just for the record, I believe that a parent is someone who loves and cares for a child. Someone who sits up with them at night when they have a bad dream, someone who goes to all their ballet recitals and school plays. You haven't done anything. You have _NO _right to call yourself Abby's father." He jerked Jacob back and stalked off. He drove back to Jacob's house to get Lizzie and Robert. At the sight of her mother, Abigail let herself out of the car and rushed down the snowy pavement into her mother's open arms. He heard Lizzie call out her daughter's name in a shocked voice and begin to cry. Gordo got out of the car, smiling to himself. Even though they were now broke and really couldn't afford Christmas, he was perfectly content. Watching the two women in his life being reunited was the only gift he needed. It was the best gift of all.

**A/N: Longest chapter you've seen from me in a while! Expect "Prom Night" to be updated in the next few days…I know I've been neglecting it, but I swear I'm going to update it soon Enjoy, and please review!**

_***Posted at 11:53 Mountain Time***_


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: The credit for this chapter goes to Boris Yeltsin! Thanks for the idea!**

**Boris Yeltsin: Thank you so much for the idea! Hope you like what I did with it. :) I'm in Idaho. Oh, and happy belated birthday!**

Isabella glanced out of the plane window. She remembered when she had dreaded flying so. She had been young when her dad had died in a plane crash, and she had been terribly afraid of planes for a long time. Once she became a singer, though, she had given up her fear to pursue her dream. Now, she was flying from Italy to Los Angeles, California for her first international tour. Her solo album had sky-rocketed in several countries including the USA, Mexico, Spain, Germany, and Japan, and England. She would start her tour in the United States.

But that's not the only reason that Isabella was excited to go to the states; she also had some old friends who resided in a small town near Los Angeles. She hadn't seen them in nearly five years, and she had decided to pay them a visit while she was in town. "Please prepare for landing," came the pilot's announcement. Isabella sat back in her seat and did just that.

LM LM LM LM LM

"Gordo! We have to go! Isabella's plane will be landing soon!" Lizzie yelled, banging on the bathroom door. "Can I come in? I need to put some makeup on." Gordo unlocked the door for Lizzie and continued shaving. Lizzie bumped up against him to try and share some mirror space. She couldn't wait until they were married and could move into their bigger house. She put her makeup away and slipped into her shoes. Gordo was just now putting his razor down and beginning to get dressed. Lizzie tapped her foot. "It's not often that this happens." Gordo sat down to tie his shoes. His eyes panned upward to his fiancée's.

"What?" he asked.

"The girl's waiting for the boy." Lizzie smirked and took Gordo's hand.

"Don't be so smug, McGuire. I've waited for you plenty of times."

LM LM LM LM LM

Isabella grabbed her suitcases off the carousel and glanced around the airport. She was used to the hustle and bustle of large airports, but this was unusually quiet. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that it was the day before Christmas Eve. "Isabella!" A voice yelled. Thinking it was yet another fan asking for an autograph, Isabella winced. It was then that she felt an incredibly strong force hit her. This person was hugging her. Isabella pulled back.

"Lizzie?" She asked. "Oh my—I didn't recognize you!"

"Well, it has been four and a half years," Lizzie said, smiling big. Gordo was standing behind her, awkwardly glancing around the airport. Isabella opened her arms, and Gordo went to hug her. The three spent the whole drive home laughing and catching up with each other. It was when they were walking into a restaurant for lunch that Isabella noticed Lizzie and Gordo's gripped hands.

"You two are…?" She asked.

"Engaged," Lizzie finished. "For a few months now." She squeezed Gordo's hand.

The three people looked over the menu, debating the many options that were available. "So, Isabella," Gordo said, "Where are you going to be for Christmas?" Isabella shrugged.

"In a hotel room somewhere. I think I'll be in New York City that day."

"How are you going to celebrate?"

"I'm not."

"Isabella! That's what makes the winter so fun, though! You don't have to celebrate Christmas, I mean…just celebrate something…" Lizzie said. Isabella chuckled.

"I wouldn't celebrate anything else. It's not religion, Lizzie, it's just that my dad died around Christmas time when I was very little. I don't have much to celebrate this time of year."

"Well, surely your dad wouldn't want you to be moping around all December! After we eat, let's go out and do something. We can go decorate our tree, go ice skating…" As they all got in the car to go pick out the perfect Christmas tree, Isabella felt sadness overwhelm her.

"Lizzie," she asked. Lizzie turned around from the front seat to look at her friend. "I think it would be best if you just took me to my hotel."

"But—''

"No buts."

"Okay…" Lizzie sighed.

LM LM LM LM LM

Lizzie turned off her lamp and curled up in bed. Gordo went to join her. "Gordo?" Lizzie asked into the darkness.

"Yeah?"

"Do you know what Isabella needs?"

"What?"

"A boyfriend!"

"Lizzie," Gordo warned. "Do you know what generally happens when you meddle with someone's love life?"

"It hardly ever works out?"

"The only time it _ever _works out is in the movies."

Lizzie sighed and rolled over to face Gordo. She took his hand. "I know, but I think that if Isabella has a boyfriend, she might enjoy the holidays more."

"Tomorrow's Christmas Eve…she's leaving early Christmas morning. What are we supposed to do, find her a boyfriend for a day?"

"That's exactly what we'll do!"

LM LM LM LM LM

"Isabella, I have someone I'd like you to meet!" Lizzie announced, gesturing at the tall blonde next to her. Isabella glanced at the man next to Lizzie. "This is Andre."

"Hello, Andre," Isabella said hesitantly. Andre nodded at her.

"Gordo and I are going to go ice skating today, and we thought that you and Andre could come! Sound good?"

Isabella wanted to say that no, it didn't sound good. "Yeah."

"Cool." Ice skating went horribly. Andre tripped Isabella three times, and he didn't say a word the whole time. Isabella assumed he was just very clumsy and shy, but she felt like she was on MTV's "Disaster Date." At dinner that night, Lizzie looked uncomfortable. Gordo tried to hold up both ends of a conversation, but neither girl wanted to listen. Lizzie later pulled Isabella into the woman's room. "Isabella, I know that this afternoon went horribly, but…I just wanted to help, and I thought that maybe a guy would make you happier around the holidays…" Lizzie sighed. "I'm so sorry." Isabella pulled Lizzie into a hug.

"Lizzie, Andre was…interesting. But I know you were only trying to give me joy, and giving is the true spirit of the holidays." She handed Lizzie a small, wrapped box. "This is for you, friend. I have a plane to catch. Tell Gordo goodbye for me." The girls embraced again.

"Bye, Isabella!" Lizzie leaned against the tiled wall of the bathroom and read the gift tag attached to the box.

_LIZZIE,_

_THIS TRIP TO AMERICA HAS BEEN…INTERESTING. BUT THANK YOU FOR MAKING MY HOLIDAYS BRIGHTER. I THOUGHT YOU MIGHT HAVE BEEN WANTING TO SEE THIS PERFORMANCE. _

_LOVE, _

_ISABELLA_

Confused, Lizzie opened the box looking for greater explanation. There was a tape marked, _ITALIAN MUSIC AWARDS 2003. _It was a VHS tape of Lizzie's performance in Rome. Lizzie smiled. Back at the table, Lizzie handed the tape to Gordo and said, "Gordo, I might want to try singing again."

**A/N: OK, so that was really crappy too. I didn't have time to get this up last night, and apparently it wouldn't have worked anyway because I was informed that the site is having issues. Thanks, Boris Yeltsin! I will post a chapter for tonight later, as well. Enjoy!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Here ya go.**

Summary of this chapter: In a time when Lizzie needs hope, her daughter's elementary school puts on an inspiring play.

"Avery?" Lizzie asked, knocking on her 14 year old daughter's door. She poked her head into the room. There sat Avery, in the midst of open CD cases and books. She was propped up on some pillows. Before getting to the point of her visit, Lizzie glanced around the room and said, "I thought I told you to clean this room?" Avery rolled her blue eyes.

"Did you come here for a reason?" Avery asked, tossing her head phones aside.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I did." Lizzie stepped carefully over her daughter's clutter and sat down on the bed next to Avery. "We need to go visit your father," she said, a helpless look taking over her complexions.

"Why? It doesn't make any difference. He hasn't woken up yet."

"I know. But it just feels right. And he can hear what we say to him. It would probably mean the world to him if we all just went and sang carols or something."

"He's Jewish," Avery reminded.

"He celebrates Christmas, too. Just not religiously."

"Whatever." The teenager sighed.

"Avery Gordon!" Lizzie shouted, getting frustrated. "This is your father! Just because he's in a coma, it doesn't mean that he's dead!"

"He may as well be!" Avery fired back. "All this Christmas shit doesn't matter! He's probably not even going to wake up!"

"Language!" Lizzie screamed a warning. Then she lowered her voice, tears filling her eyes. "And watch how you talk about your father."

"Screw you!" Avery screamed, and stormed out of her room. Lizzie sat there, waiting for the slam of the front door. It came, and soon a little brown head appeared at the door.

"Come here, baby," Lizzie said soothingly. Her little girl appeared at the bedside. Lizzie scooped her up into her arms and began to braid the glorious straight brown locks on her daughter's head.

"Why's Avery so mad?" Stella asked. Lizzie sighed.

"We're just all going through a hard time right now."

"Can we go visit Daddy?"

"Sure." They walked out to the car together and drove to the hospital. Stella plopped her little 8 year old body down in one of the hard plastic chairs. She then proceeded to tell her father about her day.

"And then in PE class, Mr. Hendrix made me be partners with Jimmy. He still picks his nose, Daddy!" Lizzie stood by the door and watched. She truly admired her youngest daughter; she wished that she herself could sit there and talk like nothing was different. But really, everything was different. It was hard to admit that her husband and best friend might not ever wake up from this coma, and that often made it hard for Lizzie to talk to him. Finally, Stella ran out of things to say and told her mother that she was going to go play in the waiting room. Lizzie sat down on the chair and pulled her knees up to her chest.

"Hi, sweetheart. I missed you today…but then again, when do I not miss you?" She laughed nervously. She reached out and touched her husband's hand. Tears fell down her cheeks. "Hanukkah's almost over. It'll be Christmas in just a couple days. I know you can't tell, but it's snowing outside. I know you used to love the snow. The girls loved playing in it with you, too." Lizzie took a deep breath and continued. "Avery didn't come with us today." She paused, knowing what Gordo would say if he could speak. He would have said, "When does she ever come? But tell her I love her. I love all three of you." "I know…she's just having a hard time excepting everything. I think she'll come around eventually. I have to go. Stella's probably making some mischief somewhere." She kissed his forehead and stood to go. "I love you so much, Gordo."

LM LM LM LM LM

"My school play's tomorrow," Stella told her mother on the drive home.

"I know," Lizzie said. "Avery and I are both coming."

"Does Avery know she's skipping school to go see a play?"

"…Not yet," Lizzie admitted, pulling into the driveway. Stella immediately sprang out of the car and ran off to go play dolls. Lizzie wandered out to the backyard. She heard sobs coming from the old tree house. Lizzie pulled herself up the ladder. Avery was sitting there in her lime green Abercrombie and Fitch hoody, wiping a wet mix of tears and ruined mascara onto her sleeve. Lizzie sat down next to her daughter. "We went to visit your father," Lizzie said quietly. No response. "You know, I remember what it was like to be your age. I felt so awkward and out of place. I'm sure that a tragedy like this doesn't help much." Avery shook her head and laughed softly. "I think it'll all be okay."

"Are you just saying that?" Avery asked, her voice raspy. "Because I know that grown-ups do that a lot."

"Well, I can't be completely sure, but I think it'll be okay."

"Okay."

"That's my girl. Now, Stella's school is putting on a play tomorrow. I'd like you to skip school and come see it with me. Is that okay?" Avery nodded anxiously.

"Yeah. I have a test that I forgot to study for, anyway." Lizzie rolled her eyes.

LM LM LM LM LM

The hospital had called early on the morning of the school play. Gordo was getting worse. He probably wouldn't make it to Christmas. Lizzie, trying to be strong for her kids, hadn't shed a tear; until both girls were asleep, that is. Then Lizzie had bawled like a baby. The girls knew that their dad wasn't doing well, but Lizzie had insisted that they go to the school play anyway. And now Avery and Lizzie sat there in the audience. Little kids were sprinting around the gym getting costumes and props. Avery was texting someone on her phone. "Who are you texting? Everyone should be in school." Avery rolled her eyes.

"Like they don't text from class, Mom?" The lights in the gym dimmed and a little girl stepped out onto the stage, directly in the middle of the spotlight.

"Look, it's Stella!" Lizzie whispered. Avery nodded.

"Thank you for coming to our Christmas play," Stella began. "We hope you all enjoy it. On Christmas Eve in Bethlehem, a baby boy was born in a manger. He would later become the founder of Christianity, but today we are going to look a little more closely at the night of his birth." Everyone applauded. The play went on, and soon found Lizzie in tears. She hadn't been a religious person, but maybe now would be a good time to start. She could use a little faith right now. Young children read out of the Bible, and the chorus sang carols. Lizzie went to the hospital later that night. She knelt down beside the bed and clasped her hands together.

"God," she whispered, "I know I haven't prayed before, but I guess I was waiting for something really special. And what I'm asking you for now _is _really special, God. This man in bed, here, is quite possibly the best person on the face of the Earth. He's loving, kind, witty, smart, and is always kind to everyone. He's the father of two beautiful children, and they can't lose him yet. There's so much left for him to do, too. He hasn't directed a movie yet, he hasn't gotten to see his daughter graduate Jr. High school…he doesn't know that I'm expecting our third child, yet. I love him so much, and the world isn't ready to lose him yet. Please," Lizzie's voice cracked, "help him. He's helped everyone for so long…it's time for someone else to help him for a change." She broke down and started crying. "Amen." She sat in silence for a few minutes by the bed, sobbing and crying. Just then, a cracked and raspy voice whispered her name. Lizzie looked up.

"Merry Christmas, Darling." Gordo said. Lizzie hit the button to call the nurse and then hugged her husband close.

"Oh, Gordo. I love you, I love you so much! You're okay!"

"I'll be fine," Gordo assured, hugging back.

"Did…I mention that I'm pregnant again?"

Gordo nodded. "I heard you." Lizzie laughed.

"Good. Merry Christmas, Gordo."

"Merry Christmas, Lizzie."

**A/N: Okay…I wrote this in, like, 10 minutes. So, don't expect it to be that good. But…at least I posted something! **

**Boris Yeltsin: That shall be tomorrow's chapter! Thanks for the ideas! I'm going to spend more time on this one than I did on yesterday's. Sorry that one sucked. :P I've been really busy. **


	13. Chapter 13

"Come on, Liz," Gordo said, stirring his pot of soup. "It'll be fun." Lizzie plopped down on her couch, winding the phone cord around her finger idly.

"I don't think so, Gordo. I mean…I'm not Jewish or anything and I would feel so out of place."

"But I'll be there to keep you company." Lizzie sighed. Gordo smiled, knowing he had won. "So will you come?"

"David Gordon, I honestly don't know why you are so intent on this."

"My family's coming. Eh…maybe I just want to show you off a little bit. So you'll be there tonight at six?"

"Okay. As long as you're sure this is okay with everybody."

"I haven't asked…but I'm sure it's fine. I'll tell my aunt and uncle about you when their plane lands tonight."

"Okay…are you really sure that this'll work out?"

"I'm positive. I love you."

"I love you, too."

LM LM LM LM LM

"She's a really great girl, Aunt Mae," Gordo said, pulling away from the airport. His parents were working, so Gordo had been sent to pick up the relatives. His Aunt Mae and Uncle Ralph were seated in the back seat of Gordo's red Honda Civic.

"She's not Jewish?" Aunt Mae asked, sniffling.

"No."

"Then she shouldn't be celebrating Hanukkah." It took all of Gordo's will power to not roll his eyes.

"You know, Aunt Mae, we're actually supposed to have a menorah by our front door. That way, we publicize the celebration like we're supposed to." Glancing in the rearview mirror and seeing his aunt's horrified expression, Gordo added, "With all due respect, of course, Aunt Mae."

"The boy's right, you know, Mae," Uncle Ralph piped up.

"Well, she won't know any of the prayers we say." Mae protested.

"We can teach her." Gordo said.

"I hardly think that it's worth our while to teach some girl our prayers."

"Aunt Mae," Gordo said, "This really means a lot to me. She's the love of my life, and she's really nervous to meet you guys. Please just…_try _to be civil toward her." They pulled into the driveway and Gordo carried in Mae's bags. "It's already 5:30? Lizzie will be here in half an hour! Aunt Mae, will you come help me make the latkes?"

"Of course, my boy," Mae pulled her long hair back into a bun and followed Gordo into the kitchen. "But it really is time you learned how to make those yourself." This time, Gordo _did _roll his eyes.

LM LM LM LM LM

"Aunt Mae, Uncle Ralph, I'd like you to meet Lizzie." Gordo gripped Lizzie's hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"Hi, it's so nice to meet you," Lizzie said shyly, trying to be polite. Ralph nodded his head at her, a straight look on his face. Mae stuck her nose up.

"Is your full name Elizabeth?" Mae asked.

"Yes," Lizzie replied.

"You're name is Hebrew, then. Perhaps I misjudged you, Elizabeth. With a name that means 'God's vow,' you can't be all bad." Lizzie blushed a deep red and turned away, hoping that no one would notice her sudden color change. She took a seat next to Gordo at the table.

"Here come the latkes!" Mrs. Gordon announced, setting a plate on the table. Mr. Gordon then came in from the kitchen, carrying trays full of dairy products.

"It's traditional to eat oily foods during Hanukkah," Gordo explained, gesturing to the latkes, "Because oil was what kept the candles lit for eight days at the holy temple in Jerusalem." Lizzie nodded, happy to learn about this holiday. "And we eat lots of dairy because Judith snuck her way into an enemy territory with cheese and wine. She ended up saving her civilization, so we honor her by eating dairy."

"Cool," Lizzie smiled. Once everyone was served, the six people all began to eat together. A cheesecake was for dessert, and they all filed into the living room to light the Menorah. Gordo explained all the Hebrew prayers they were saying, and Lizzie tried her best to follow along. Mae sighed, frustrated.

"Goodness, girl! You're pronouncing _everything _wrong! Hebrew isn't that hard to learn!" Mae shrieked.

"Aunt Mae!" Gordo warned. He put his arm around Lizzie. "You're doing fine," he told her. "Now, let's just finish our prayers, everyone. We have to teach Lizzie how to play dreidel before she leaves!" Mr. and Mrs. Gordon laughed and everyone continued to pray. Soon the group was seated at the dining room table with a dreidel and a pile of chocolate candies. Gordo explained the different symbols on the dreidel to Lizzie until he was sure she had them memorized. As the game progressed, though, it became clear that she wasn't understanding at all. She would often ask questions until Mae thought that her mind would explode.

"For heaven's sake! It's not a hard game! I had to teach myself how to play, and I still have it down flat! I don't know why you're here! You don't even celebrate Hanukkah!" Mae exclaimed. The rest of the Gordon family stared at her in awe.

"Yeah…maybe I should go…" Lizzie said, standing up. "Thanks for dinner." She turned and left the house. She silently willed herself not to cry. She heard footsteps pounding the sidewalk behind her, and suddenly a coat was draped across her shoulders.

"Liz," Gordo said, "I'm sorry about what my aunt said back there. She's really religious, and she has a hard time excepting that some people aren't Jewish. But, she also doesn't know that they can be taught. She's…"

"Kind of mean?" Lizzie finished for him, a smile tugging at her lips.

"Yeah…" Gordo agreed. "But she means well."

"Listen, it's okay. You can always teach me about Hanukkah some other time." She reached up and planted a kiss on his lips. "But…as payback, you're coming to my house for Christmas." Gordo laughed and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Okay. Happy Holiday season, honey."

"Happy holidays, Gordo."

**A/N: Okay, hopefully that was better than my last couple chapters…but I'm kind of rushed again tonight. Sorry, everybody! I get out of school for break at 12:00 on Friday, so expect long, GOOD chapters from me after that! :) **


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Hey, guys! I know I didn't post anything last night, (nor will I post a chapter tonight) but you can rest assured that there will be three chapters up tomorrow. One for last night, one for tonight, and one for that day. I get out of school at noon, so I will have plenty of time to write!**

**I'm sorry that I'm so far behind…last night I had homework in every subject (which included studying for five tests) and I pretty much had an emotional break down from the stress, which got me sent straight to bed. Then, tonight, my mother insisted that I help her bake cookies, and then we had to take my dog to the vet because she's been vomiting blood. TMI, I know. I'll see you all later…and I hope you understand my lack of updates! **


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: OK, I've decided that it's easier for me to do two and two. Two today and two tomorrow. Then I'm caught up. Enjoy this crappy piece of writing!**

Summary: Lizzie spends the holiday season bonding with her young daughter while making Christmas cookies.

"Jayden, come here for a minute," Lizzie called up the stairs. Little four year old Jayden came tottering down, her blonde pigtails bouncing behind her.

"Yes, Mommy?" she asked, setting herself down at the table.

"Since it's Christmas time, what do you say we make some cookies to surprise Daddy with when he gets home?" Lizzie tied the apron around her back and got out some butter, flour, and sugar.

"Yeah! Can we make gingerbread men?" Jayden climbed up on her little step stool and stood next to her mother.

"Of course! Those are my favorites, too! Here, this is a measuring cup. Can you pour some sugar into it?" Lizzie winced as she watched sugar get scattered on the counter, the floor, pretty much everywhere except in the measuring cup. Lizzie took the cup and the box of sugar into her hands and showed Jayden how to pour it correctly. They took turns measuring out ingredients. "Come with me to the garage. I keep the cookie cutters out there." Lizzie took her daughter's hand and led her out into the cold garage. Lizzie stood on her tip toes and grabbed an old tin can. "These," Lizzie told her daughter, "were given to me by my mom, who got them from her mom. And they still work!" Both girls giggled. "Someday they'll be yours, Jay." Lizzie opened the tin and tipped it slightly so that Jayden could see into it. "What shapes should we use?"

"Hmmm…the angel, and the little girl, and the little boy." Jayden pointed at the cutters.

"Okay," Lizzie said, getting the cookie cutters out and putting the tin back on the shelf. They went back inside and rolled the dough out into big circles. They took turns sticking the metal cutters into the squishy dough to make different Christmas shapes. Lizzie put them into the oven and went to look up a recipe for icing. When she came back carrying a paper labeled "Vanilla Frosting: Perfect for Gingerbread!" Jayden had already eaten a couple of the cookies. "Jayden, no, they need frosting!" Lizzie insisted, gathering ingredients. They sifted all the powdered sugar into a bowl, and then added butter to it as they stirred it on the stove.

"Daddy will be home in thirty minutes," Jayden announced, following her mother into the dining room. Lizzie set the tray of gingerbread cookies down and gave Jayden a tube of icing.

"Mm hmm," Lizzie agreed, heading back to the kitchen to clean up. She watched her daughter making the cookies "talk" as she poured icing onto them. She was so much like her father; the budding witty sense of humor, her knowledge. Jayden had begun to read when she was 2 and a half. She also had her father's striking blue eyes and lanky build. Unfortunately, Jayden had inherited some of Lizzie's bad qualities. The child was clumsy, and often fussy about how she looked. She already insisted that she had _absolutely nothing _to wear. Lizzie was trying to get her child to be comfortable with herself. Having become a psychologist, Lizzie knew that about 71.5% of girls are uncomfortable in their own bodies. Lizzie wanted to make sure that Jayden wasn't one of those girls. Lizzie had been like that, and it had only caused her pain and suffering. Now, though, she was a beautiful woman; her blonde hair was still long, and her eyes were still a vibrant hazel, but she personally thought that the key to her beauty was being comfortable with herself.

Lizzie grabbed a bowl of hard candies and went to give it to Jayden. "Look what I found," Lizzie said, sitting down next to her daughter.

"Ooh!" Jayden squealed, running her little hands through the bowl of M&M's, Skittles, and Runts.

"You can use them for buttons, or eyes, or even little dimples." Jayden laughed as Lizzie smiled and held two candies up to her cheeks. Jayden glanced at the clock and hurried with her decorating. "What's the rush?" Lizzie asked, putting the candy back in the bowl.

"Daddy'll be home soon!" Jayden scurried into the kitchen and came back with a plate. She loaded the cookies onto a plate and shoved it at her mother. "Hold this, please." Lizzie clutched onto the plate. She watched curiously as her daughter pulled a dining room chair up to the front door. She plopped herself down in it, and Lizzie handed her the plate. Ten minutes passed, then fifteen.

"Maybe he's running late. Traffic's bad this time of year." Lizzie said, tucking her hair behind her ears and leaning up against the wall. Jayden huffed.

"I have to give him my cookies before they get all gross and hard."

"They'll be fine." A car door slammed outside, and Jayden flew out the front door into the snowy yard. Lizzie worried about her feet freezing, but watched in joy as she saw a look of complete bliss pass over her husband's face as his daughter dove into his outstretched arms. Jayden showed him the cookies, and her father took a big bite of one after admiring the gloppy icing and scattered candies. He slung Jayden over his shoulder and headed inside.

"They're delicious," he whispered into Lizzie's ear after setting Jayden down.

"I bet," Lizzie said, winking at her daughter. "Jayden did a wonderful job." Gordo leaned forward and pressed his lips to his wife's.

"I love my girls," he said, wrapping his arms around both of them.

"We love you, Gordo," Lizzie said, snuggling in close.

"Yes! We love you, Daddy!" Jayden smiled brightly. "Merry Christmas!"

**A/N: Okay, so that was short and probably crappy, but…the ending was cute, in my opinion! Went caroling tonight after another trip to the vet, or this would have been up sooner. Next chapter will be out in like, 20 minutes. Enjoy!**


	16. Chapter 16

Summary: Lizzie and Gordo spend the day preparing for a special Christmas visitor.

Lizzie Gordon slid into place next to her husband, who was leaning over the stove, watching a pot of soup bubble and steam. "Careful," he said, glancing up at Lizzie who had almost fallen on the slippery wood floor. "We don't need you _or _the baby falling and getting hurt." The 24-year-old girl placed a hand instinctively on her growing stomach.

"Four months, now," she said, smiling at Gordo.

"I know," he replied. "I've been keeping track." He offered one of his famous half smiles and took the soup off of the heat. "Want some?"

"No, thanks. I'm going to go out and get some ice cream."

"How the heck can you be craving ice cream right now?" Gordo said, looking at Lizzie like she was crazy. "It's only 25 degrees outside." Lizzie shrugged.

"I figured that Matt will want some when he comes in…if he comes in." A smile tugged at Gordo's lips, knowing very well that Lizzie was the one who wanted the ice cream, not Matt. Gordo turned serious quickly, though.

"Lizzie, what did your parents tell you?"

"To not wait for Matt."

"Why?"

"Because he's probably not going to come home this Christmas."

"Exactly."

"But he might!" Lizzie said, hope flickering in her hazel eyes.

"Maybe. But maybe not. So don't worry yourself about it."

"I just miss him, is all." Her eyes followed Gordo as he wandered around the room collecting things to make a salad to go with his soup.

"We all do, sweetheart." Gordo sprinkled some cheese on top of his lettuce. For the last two years, ever since Matt had joined the military, Lizzie had made a habit out of spending her Christmas eve in the airport, just in case Matt had been allowed to go home for Christmas and was going to surprise her. He never had, though. Seeing the distraught look on Lizzie's face, Gordo said, "we can go down to the airport later, if you'd like." Lizzie nodded. Tears spilled out of her eyes. Gordo took her up into his arms. By now he was used to her little outbursts. "What's wrong with me?" She would always say, and Gordo would just tell her that her hormones were off-balanced, as they would be in any four month pregnant lady. But this time, Gordo had a feeling that there was some anxiety in these tears. Lizzie had wanted her brother to come visit for a long time now, and not being able to see him scared her. For all they know, Matt might be missing somewhere in the forest, injured and starving to death. Gordo highly doubted that possibility, but it was very well possible. His cell phone went off in his pocket. Gordo reached down and pulled it out, Lizzie still clinging onto him. "Hello?" Gordo asked.

"Gordo?" A familiar voice rang through the line.

"Yeah, um…just a second." Gordo pulled himself free of Lizzie and went outside. "Who is this?"

"It's Matt! Jeez, you think my brother in law would recognize my voice!" The truth was, Matt sounded much raspier than he had when he had left for combat. It was as if he had a very sore throat.

"Matt! Oh my—It's been so long!" Gordo said, excitement overwhelming him.

"Yeah! Uh, did I hear my sister crying in the background a minute ago?"

"Um…"

"She _was _crying! I swear to God, Gordo, if you've done anything to her…"

Gordo laughed out loud at Matt's choice of words. "I haven't done anything _bad _to her…" A puzzled silence followed that comment, and Gordo added, "She's pregnant!"

"Holy cow! Congrats, you two! Hey, I'm gonna be an uncle!"

"Uncle Matt. It has a ring to it," Gordo admitted, a smile crossing his face.

"Yeah," Matt said in a sing-song voice, "So does 'Daddy'." Gordo laughed.

"Yeah, yeah it does. Matt…where are you?"

"I'm in New York City."

"_What_?"

"I'm coming home for Christmas!"

"Oh, Matt! Lizzie will be thrilled!"

"I know. But…I need you to keep her busy. That way I can sneak into your house and it'll truly be a surprise."

"Matt, that's not going to be easy. She goes to the airport and sits there on Christmas eve, just in case you come home for Christmas."

"…Does she really?"

"Without fail."

"Can you just try to keep her away from the airport? I'll be landing at 5:30." A voice came over the intercom at the airport. "That's my flight," Matt said. "Please just try, Gordo. It would mean a lot." With that, he hung up. Gordo sighed and turned off his phone.

"I'll try," he mumbled to himself. He headed back inside and put his now cold soup into the microwave. Lizzie was sitting at the island, a tissue in hand, makeup smeared and smudged across her cheeks.

"Who was that?" She asked, sniffing.

"No one," Gordo lied. Lizzie had never been one to violate his privacy, and he figured she wouldn't start now. Lizzie sighed.

"Gordo, let's go to the airport after you eat." Gordo's mind quickly ran over what he could do to talk Lizzie out of that plan. They couldn't go ice skating or anything, (for fear of falling) and besides, the rinks would all be closed. It was Christmas eve, after all.

"Um, Lizzie…okay, we can go. But first I need to run some errands. You'll come with me, right?" Lizzie shrugged her shoulders.

"Sure." Gordo smiled and sat down next to his wife. He took his sweet time eating his soup and salad, and he could see that Lizzie was getting ticked off. He didn't want to upset her, but the surprise would be worth it if he had to. The couple got in the car and headed off toward the grocery store. They wandered the aisles, Gordo trying to come up with something he could get to buy time. Lizzie gave each item on the shelf a once over, occasionally adding something to their cart. "Lizzie?" Gordo said while they were in line. "I have to go to the bathroom." He gave her the credit card. "Pay if I'm not back by the time we get to the front of the line." And he ran off in search of the bathroom, not aware that a young man in Kansas was also searching for something.

LM LM LM LM LM

Matt McGuire was running around the airport in search of gate B6. Of course it had to be the gate furthest away from where he was standing. Those things just always happened when in a hurry. Matt dashed down the aisle, heavy boots clunking on the tile floor. Soon he found himself standing safely in line to board the plane. He was excited to be able to see his sister, parents, and brother in law for Christmas. He had gotten quite lucky. A friend of his had flown him out of the war zone, all the way to New York. He had flown stand by to Kansas, and was now doing the same thing on his connecting flight to Colorado, where everyone currently lived. The McGuire's had all moved there in Lizzie's senior year in high school. After a year apart, Gordo and Lizzie had decided to go to the same college and had started dating. They were now out of college, married, and expecting a baby. Matt chuckled to himself. It was funny how time flies.

He showed the attendant his ticket and walked through the terminal leading to the plane. He had been lucky enough to get a window seat, and was now looking out it at the run way. A plump man sat down beside him, smiling big. He was carrying a box of Girl Scout cookies. He offered one to Matt, which he promptly rejected. The man shrugged. He then began laughing and telling Matt about all his Christmas traditions. Matt smiled, trying to listen. This was going to be one long flight.

LM LM LM LM LM

They had gone to pretty much every store in their town. It was five o'clock, and Gordo was running out of "errands" he needed to run. If they showed up at the airport now, Matt wouldn't have to pay for cab fare. Yeah, that would work. They pulled into the parking lot and headed over to the luggage carousel. There, Lizzie spotted a young man in an army uniform. He was picking up a suitcase and heading over to the door. "Gordo!" Lizzie yelled, pointing at the man. Gordo turned and looked, smiling to himself.

"That looks a lot like Matt," Gordo said. Just for kicks, he yelled out, "MATT!" Matt turned around, and seeing this, Lizzie ran across the airport and into her brother's arms. As Gordo watched them happily, seeing the tears running down both their cheeks, he knew that this was going to be a very merry Christmas.

**A/N: Okay, that was longer, and probably better, than most of my recent chapters. Lol. I could barely keep my eyes open while writing this, so please excuse any minor typos. **

_***Tonight's chapters were posted at 10:00 and 11:25 my time***_


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Okay, this chapter's really personal to me. I have a friend who's moving out of state because her dad kicked them (my friend and her mom) out of the house. She's leaving tomorrow, right before Christmas, and I love her a lot. She's one of the best people I know, and I'm gonna miss her like crazy. This chapter is for her, and I wish her the best of luck in her new city, school, and hope she makes some great new friends! But doesn't forget me! Hehe. I know this isn't a Christmas song, but the story takes place at Christmas time. **

_**Taylor—I'm going to miss you like crazy, girl! Please don't ever forget that I love you like a sister. And you'd better come visit me sometime soon! Love ya, girly. **_

_**Love and hugs, **_

_**Lucy**_

_*I've dealt with my ghosts and I've faced all my demons  
>Finally content with a past I regret<br>I've found you find strength in your moments of weakness*_

Lizzie McGuire tossed the last of her boxes into the back seat of her car. She slammed the door shut and walked around to the driver's seat. "Lizzie," Jordan yelled, walking up behind her. He placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it tenderly. "Please don't do this. We can fix our relationship."

"Why would I want our relationship to be fixed? You hurt me, and no counselor can fix that." Lizzie replied coldly, tugging down her sleeves to hide the old scars. She had done a decent makeup job on her black eye, but the skin was tender to the touch, making it hard to put cover-up on. She got in the car and drove off. Where she was going, she had no clue, but she knew she just had to get out of that town. There was nothing left there for her anymore.

_*For once I'm at peace with myself  
>I've been burdened with blame, trapped in the past for too long<br>I'm movin' on*_

"This is ridiculous," she muttered to herself, "you're leaving your home, on Christmas Eve, and you have no place to go. What the hell are you doing, McGuire?" She turned on the radio, hoping for a distraction from her emotions. Jordan had always been so sweet. Until Lizzie had moved in with him, that is. Then he had started to force Lizzie to do things outside of her comfort zone. When she had refused, Jordan had started beating her up. Lizzie had finally had enough and was leaving.

She just drove. Followed the freeway for what seemed like forever. Finally, she saw the exit for a small town called "Hope." She pulled off and dug out and address book. She had a friend who lived in Hope, and maybe she would be able to stay with him until she decided where she was really going.

_*I've lived in this place and I know all the faces  
>Each one is different but they're always the same<br>They mean me no harm but it's time that I face it  
>They'll never allow me to change*<em>

Gordo hung the paper star in the window of his apartment, and then glanced back to his 12 year old daughter. She had been born when Gordo was 16, and when he and his girlfriend had turned 18, they had moved in together. A couple years later, Baylee had abandoned them. Gordo accepted full responsibility for his daughter, and was still a loving father to his daughter. Baylee had insisted that their daughter be raised Christian, and Gordo was keeping up with that tradition. They now spent their Christmas Eve decorating and getting ready for Santa. "Chastity?" Gordo asked. He had never liked that name; Baylee had insisted on it. He loved his daughter all the same, though.

"Yeah?" Chastity asked, brushing her long red hair over her shoulder and continuing to cut out the shape of a Christmas tree.

"Do you know that car that just pulled up out front?" Chastity joined her dad at the window.

"No. I don't know that woman, either." She pointed at the blonde woman getting out of the parked car. Gordo recognized her immediately, however.

"Oh my God…" he muttered and went running outside to meet her.

"Dad?" Chastity asked, confused.

"Lizzie?" Gordo asked, closing the door behind him and folding his arms to keep some body heat within him.

_*But I never dreamed home would end up where I don't belong  
>I'm movin' on<br>I'm movin' on  
>At last I can see life has been patiently waiting for me<br>And I know there's no guarantees, but I'm not alone  
>There comes a time in everyone's life*<em>

"Gordo," she breathed, her voice cracked and raspy. He could tell that she had been crying, and she was starting to do so again. He hesitantly approached her and drew her up into a hug. He hadn't seen her since Chastity had been born. Lizzie had certainly made a grand entrance, though.

"Liz, are you okay?" Lizzie started to explain her whole story, Gordo lovingly wiping tears from her cheeks the whole time.

"He was such a jerk." She turned and noticed the little red head peeking out the window. "Who's that?" Gordo turned around to look at the window as well. He waved; a gesture he used to get Chastity to leave him alone and mind her own business. The child left.

"My daughter," Gordo said.

"You're—but I thought Baylee was going to get an…"

"Abortion? I didn't want her to. She came around eventually."

"So…where's Baylee, then?"

"She left. When Chastity was six."

"I'm sorry, Gordo…I didn't know…"

"It's okay. I moved on. Which is exactly what you need to do." Lizzie bit her lip nervously. "Come on in. I'll get you set up in the guest room."

"Thank you, Gordo. You're still just as great as you used to be." Gordo smiled.

"Chastity!" he yelled, opening the front door. "Go get dinner. It's been ready for ages now." Soon the three people found themselves sitting at a crowded dining room table, silently eating meatloaf. Chastity finally broke the silence.

"So…are you my dad's boyfriend…or what?" Lizzie blushed.

"Chastity!" Gordo scolded, glaring at his child. Chastity gave him a look that clearly stated that she thought she had done no wrong.

"It's okay, Gordo." Lizzie said, "I have been you're dad's best friend since we were born. I'm just coming to visit for a while. And I'm very glad to meet you. You seem like a great girl."

_*When all you can see are the years passing by  
>And I have made up my mind that those days are gone*<em>

Chastity rolled her eyes, in a very "annoyed teenager" fashion. "Whatever," she said, bitterly. She stood up and ran to her room.

"Gordo…does she have any women in her life?" Lizzie asked, concern filling her eyes. Gordo shook his head, eyes filling.

"I-I try so hard, Lizzie. I thought she would be okay with me."

"Well, you seem to be doing fine. But she's becoming a teenager! What about when she needs to buy a bra? What about when she starts her period?" Gordo blushed a shade of red that a ripe tomato would envy.

"I always figured that my mom would help her with that stuff." Lizzie nodded slowly. "Lizzie?" Gordo added, "Maybe…maybe you could be part of Chastity's life. I mean, she'll warm up to you eventually…"

"Gordo, I can't stay here. This…isn't home."

"You could make it home," he said quickly. Lizzie smiled sadly. "I've really missed you, Liz. You know I would never hurt you."

"I know, Gordo." She placed her hand over his. "But I don't belong here. But, I will stay for Christmas tomorrow if that's alright."

"We'd love to have you."

_*I sold what I could and packed what I couldn't*_

After the dishes were gone, Lizzie wandered off in search of Chastity's room. She was following the sweet sound of Christmas carols, and rapped on the door of the room she thought the noise was coming from. "Dad?" Chastity asked. Lizzie gulped.

"No, it's Lizzie. May I come in?"

"I guess so." Lizzie went in and sat down on the floor. She crossed her legs Indian Style.

"First of all, I want you to know that I'm not trying to replace your mom. No one could ever do that, I know. I just want to be a part of your little family for Christmas this year. I just got out of a bad relationship, and I knew that Gordo would help me. He always has helped me through anything. He's a good man, and you're lucky he's your father." Silence. "So…may I stay for Christmas?"

"Sure. I guess so."

"Thank you." With that, Lizzie stood to leave.

_*Stopped to fill up on my way out of town  
>I've loved like I should but lived like I shouldn't<br>I had to lose everything to find out  
>Maybe forgiveness will find me somewhere down this road*<em>

The next morning, everyone gathered in the living room. Chastity had gotten some neat stuff from Santa, and had spent the night before finding a present for Lizzie. Lizzie had loved it, and slipped it into her pocket; this locket was too precious to lose. Chastity headed off to a friend's house that afternoon, leaving Lizzie and Gordo alone. "I've got to go, Gordo." Lizzie said, frowning.

"I know," Gordo said. He stood up and followed her to the door. Lizzie turned, grabbed the collar of his shirt, and pressed her lips nervously to his. She pulled away.

"Thank you, Gordo. I love you." His heart cracked with a familiar pain from high school. The pain he had always felt when he saw Lizzie with someone else. She had always made a habit of telling Gordo that she loved him, but he knew very well that all she wanted was friendship. It wasn't _that _kind of love. And that killed him.

"I love you too, Liz. More than you'll ever know." Then she was gone. Just as fast as she had come into their lives, she had left, too, leaving Gordo with a terrible case of nostalgia. "More than you'll ever know," Gordo muttered, a tear sliding down his cheek. _She's moving on,_ Gordo told himself confidently, _but she'll never forget me. _

_*I'm movin' on  
>I'm movin' on*<em>

**A/N: Okay, so I literally started crying in the middle of this. So many memories. I hope you enjoyed. I get to see my friend one more time, and I know exactly what I'm going to tell her: **_**Don't say goodbye. Say see you later. Goodbye is forever, and I know I'm going to see you again.**_

**I'm going to post two chapters tomorrow instead of today, by the way.**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Okay, so you probably think that I have absolutely no follow through…but I have to post two chapters tomorrow instead of today. Today I forgot that we were throwing a Christmas party, and this literally the first time I've sat down all day. Tomorrow I have nothing to do, and the two chapters will for sure be up! Enjoy this tonight, though!**

**Bubbles237: I'm glad you found that army chapter personal. I want readers to be able to connect to my writing; that's my ultimate goal. I'm glad to see that I'm achieving it! Enjoy, and thanks for reading!**

**River Tam: I'll see what I can do about that chapter you wanted. Expect it in a few days, though, 'cause I'll have to do some research for that.**

"Be of good cheeeeer!" Grace sang at the top of her lungs. Lizzie bit her lip and tried to remain calm. The road she was driving on was very icy, and her daughter's singing along with the radio was no help. Finally fed up, Lizzie reached over and turned off the radio. Eight year old Grace's faint frown lines began to show as she asked, "Momma, why can't we listen to music?" Lizzie sighed and gripped the steering wheel tighter as she wound her way down the steep hill.

"Because it's distracting me, baby," Lizzie replied.

"Oh, okay." Grace sat back in her seat and twiddled her thumbs. She began to kick her legs, drumming her feet rhythmically against the back of Lizzie's seat.

"Grace!" Lizzie scolded, feeling incredibly overwhelmed. "Please just sit still!" Grace sat still, all right, but she began to hum a cheery tune, making her mother ever angrier. "GRACE!" Lizzie screeched. Grace leaned back and mumbled an apology.

When they had gotten to the bottom of the hill, Grace asked, "Are we going to go see Daddy now?" Lizzie sighed. Ever since she and Grace's father had gotten separated, Grace had talked non-stop about going to see him. Lizzie always came up with excuses not to, knowing that she would _have _to take Grace to see her dad eventually.

"No, not today, baby. I'm tired out from all that skiing." Lizzie said, pulling her parka closer around herself.

"Oh," Grace said, sighing.

"Baby, I know you want to go see Daddy, but we can't right now. It just wouldn't be good for us."

"Why not? Tonight's the first night of Hanukkah, and Daddy and I always play dreidel on Hanukkah!" Grace announced in a bitter, whiny tone.

"I know, and I know you like tradition, but you're not going to be raised Jewish anymore. You're going to be raised Christian. And if you don't like that, you can change your mind when you're 18."

"But, Mom! I think I'm old enough to know what I want to be!"

"You're only eight years old, Grace! I know what's best!"

"You can't always be right!"

"Watch that tone, Missy."

"But I don't believe a lot of what Christians believe! And I don't want to celebrate Christmas religiously!" Lizzie winced at her daughter's use of big words. She certainly had her father's brain.

"Grace…just be quiet."

"No! Momma, this isn't fair!"

"Shut your mouth, or you're going to be grounded!" That finally got Grace to shut up, but it didn't stop the tears from falling. The truth was, Lizzie wasn't Christian. She wasn't really anything. But her ex husband was Jewish, and Hanukkah reminded her of him. Soon, all the bad memories came flooding back, and Lizzie honestly didn't need that. _It's okay, _she told herself, _she'll get over it._

That night, Lizzie sat in her bed, reading a book. She couldn't concentrate, though, since Grace was still mad at her. She had slammed the bedroom door in Lizzie's face, announcing that she didn't want to hear a bedtime story that night. Now, Lizzie thumbed absentmindedly through the book, wishing she knew what to do about Grace. The phone rang, and Lizzie picked it up off of her night stand. "Hello?" she asked.

"It's me," a male voice said. "I thought we agreed that Grace was coming over to my house for Hanukkah."

"I changed my mind," Lizzie said simply. She frowned when the man on the line sighed angrily.

"I didn't think it was entirely up to you, Lizzie!"

"Well, I decided she's not going to be Jewish anymore, Gordo!" Lizzie fired back, feeling anger well up inside her.

"Isn't that her choice?" Gordo asked after a moment of silence.

"She's my daughter and I can raise her however I please."

"She's my daughter, too!"

"Biologically, yes, but you've never really been here for her! I've been raising her by myself!"

"Oh, that is such a lie, and you know it!"

"Well, it's how I'm feeling right now, Gordo!"

"Bring her over tomorrow. She's my daughter, too, and I want to spend Hanukkah with her like we agreed on weeks ago."

"No! You can't tell me what to do! I'm all grown up now, believe it or not!"

"Fine. Then I'll come and pick her up."

"If you come here, Gordo, I'll chase you off the lawn with a stick!" Now, that made Gordo laugh. But just a little. He was still terribly angry.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Lizzie." He hung up the phone. Lizzie sighed and rubbed her temples. This was ridiculous. How could she and the man she had once loved so much be fighting like this? Grace aopeared in the doorway.

"Was that Daddy?" She asked.

"Yes," Lizzie said, opening her book again.

"What did he want?"

"None of your business."

"I think it is my business. He's my dad."

"Go back to bed, Grace!"

"This is so unfair! None of this is fair! You are a despicable person, Lizzie Gordon!" With that, Grace stomped off into her room and began to pack her bags. She couldn't take this anymore. She shoved stuffed animals, clothes, and a bag of cookies into her backpack. She slid the bag over her shoulder and opened the window. She climbed down the big oak tree and onto the hard cement of the apartment complex parking lot. "Forget this place," she mumbled, wandering off.

LM LM LM LM LM

Gordo sat in his Lazee-Boy recliner in front of the fire place, trying to figure out what to do with the eight year old sitting in front of him. He stared at her with an intense gaze, furrowing his eyebrows. She stared back with the same intensity. "Can we play dreidel now?" She asked.

"No," Gordo said, shaking his head slowly. "First I have to figure out what I'm going to do with you."

"What do you mean?"

"You ran away, Grace! Your mother's probably worried sick!"

"Probably not. She probably hasn't even noticed that I'm gone, yet."

"I bet she has. Well, first of all, I suppose we have to call her and say that you're here."

"No, Daddy! Do you know what she said to me? She said that I couldn't be raised Jewish, anymore! I would miss it too much!"

"Well, what do you suppose you're going to do, then? Just stay here forever?" Grace nodded her head vigorously.

"No," Gordo said firmly, standing up and picking up the phone. He dialed Lizzie's number and slammed the phone down when the busy signal rang through it. "Great!" He yelled, "She's probably calling the police, and I'm going to be charged with kidnap! This is ridiculous! Why did you run away, Grace?"

"Because I missed you!"

"Well, I don't know if you knew this, but I was going to come and pick you up tomorrow morning!" Grace blushed. She had never felt so embarrassed. "Now, come on. Get in the car. We've got to take you home."

"No!" Seeing the distress in his daughter's face, Gordo kneeled down and looked her in the eye.

"It'll all be okay, kiddo."

"Are you and Mom going to get back together?"

"I don't know."

"Well, do you want to?"

"I'd sure like to get back together with your mom, sweetheart."

"Well, then, why don't you wish for it? There are Christmas wishes, so there must be Hanukkah wishes, too!"

"Maybe."

"Then wish, Daddy! I need you both together," Grace pleaded, "everything was so much happier." Doing what his daughter had asked, Gordo closed his eyes and wished with all his might.

"There. I don't know if it'll come true, though."

"Maybe it will, maybe it won't. Whatever's meant to happen." Gordo laughed and ruffled Grace's long brown hair.

"Come on, kiddo, get in the car. It'll all be okay, I promise."

"Okay, Daddy."

LM LM LM LM LM

Lizzie paced back and forth across her living room floor. She knew that Grace was mad, but she didn't think she was crazy enough to run away. Lizzie's mind was so clouded with grief that she didn't have any clue as to where her daughter could have possibly gone. Suddenly, a car pulled up outside, and Grace and Gordo got out of it. Lizzie rushed out onto her porch, tears flooding from her cheeks as she embraced her little girl. Gordo came and stood behind Grace. "She came home," he explained coldly. Lizzie nodded. Grace promised to be right back, and ran to go put her backpack away. Gordo took a step closer to Lizzie and glanced up. He pointed at a sprig of mistletoe hanging up there. Lizzie nervously took a step back, but Gordo stepped forward at the same time, and their lips met in a soft kiss. Gordo pulled away after a moment and looked into Lizzie's hazel eyes, trying to read the emotion he saw there. "I don't know why we've been fighting, but I want to fix our relationship. I'll even go to a counselor…I've missed you, Lizzie. I need you, and I love you. Come home, Lizzie, please?" Suddenly, Lizzie started laughing. "What?" Gordo asked.

"You look almost as nervous as you did on our wedding day," Lizzie replied, reminiscing. "I'm sorry I said that you aren't a good dad, because you are. And Grace loves you with all her heart…and so do I." Gordo's blue eyes lit up.

"You mean that?"

"Yes…" Lizzie said hesitantly. "Yes." With that, no more words were exchanged; just kisses between the two people. The clock inside struck midnight.

Gordo pulled away from Lizzie and said, "It's the 22. Merry eve of the eve of Christmas eve."

Lizzie smiled broadly and said, "Same to you, Gordo." Grace came outside.

"Look!" She shouted. Snow fell softly to the ground. The three people smiled and joined in a group hug, catching the snowflakes. It was going to be a very happy holiday season, after all.

**A/N: Crappy and rushed, I know. I'm tired! Anyway, this was posted at 11:03 my time. Please keep those wonderful reviews coming!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Part One—Too Little, Too Late **

"Why do I need to go back to school? This is a decent job, and I'm a hard worker. It can work out." Lizzie McGuire said, wrapping her hands around the warm mug of coffee that Gordo had just placed in front of her.

"You could get a fantastic job with a college degree. You're smart, Lizzie, and being a clerk at Macy's for the rest of your life won't satisfy you," Gordo replied. Seeing the look in her eyes, he added softly, "You know that." He set his hand on hers.

"I don't…I don't have the money to go back to school. I need a job so I can support Taylor. She needs me more than I need to follow some silly dreams I had in high school. And I can barely even afford this month's rent." Gordo sighed, knowing he was about to go into dangerous territory.

"Well, you know…if you want to, I mean…you could—''

"No! Gordo, no! We tried living together, and it didn't work. We're not going to try that again."

"But I can help you," Gordo insisted. Lizzie pulled her hand away.

"I need space to raise Taylor on my own. I certainly don't need you watching me every minute of every day."

"Taylor's my daughter, too. Unless you've been lying to me all these years?" Gordo said, looking hurt. He loved Lizzie with all his heart, even after the breakup, and if she had been cheating on him the whole time…well, he would be crushed.

"I wasn't lying to you, Gordo," Lizzie whispered, standing up to leave. "I'm not that low."

"I was hoping not."

"I have to go. I have to call the store and tell them I'm excepting the job."

"Are you bringing Taylor over tonight?" Gordo followed her to the door. Lizzie opened it and turned to go.

"If that's okay…"

"Of course it is."

"Great. I'll see you at six, then."

"See you at six," Gordo repeated, fighting the incredibly strong urge to grab her and kiss her. She got in her car and left. After her car disappeared around the corner, Gordo sighed and closed the door. He leaned against it. This had to stop. It was too hard to see her every day when he was harboring feelings that she clearly didn't have. But…how could he get over her when she was such a big part of his life? "Arrg!" he screamed, running his hands through his curls. _One day at a time, Gordo, _his conscience told him, _take it one day at a time._

* * *

><p>"Are you coming over for Christmas this year?" Taylor asked, briefly looking up from the present she was wrapping. Gordo looked down at his eleven year old daughter, into her blue eyes that were identical to his own.<p>

"No," he replied simply, shaking his head.

"Why not?"

"Well, I…I have to go out of town on some business. I'm flying out Christmas morning."

"Oh! But we always spend Christmas together!" She flipped her blonde hair out of her eyes and looked up at her father pleadingly.

"I know. But there's nothing I can do about that, kiddo. I'm sorry. Maybe we can ask your mom if I can go over to your place for Hanukkah, though." Taylor nodded eagerly. "Come on. Dinner's ready." The two gathered at the table and served themselves some pasta.

"This is really good," Taylor said behind a mouthful of noodles. Gordo laughed.

"I'm glad you like it." Taylor nodded.

"Daddy…may I ask you a question?"

"Of course. You can ask me anything you want; you know that."

"Mmm Hmm. Um…why didn't you and Mom ever get married?" Gordo coughed as he nearly choked on his dinner. He sipped his water and sighed. Shaking his head, he looked up at his daughter, and their blue eyes locked.

"I don't know, Tay." They were silent for the rest of dinner.

* * *

><p>"I—I can make those hours work." Lizzie said, glancing around the store. "But, right now I have to go. I need to work some things out with my daughter's father…and…"<p>

"I understand," Lizzie's new boss replied. "I'll see you on Wednesday morning."

"At eight AM."

"Yes." Lizzie turned and walked out of the store, wrapping her coat tighter around her to keep out the cold. She drove off to the local bar, where she spent her nights working. Not as a waitress, but as an entertainer. She sang for three hours every night, her guitar case open on the edge of the stage, welcoming people to donate. She got 12 dollars an hour, plus whatever she made in tips each night.

"Lizzie, you're five minutes late!" Lizzie's friend Brad announced, pouring a Scotch for some old man.

"What would I do without you, Brad?" Lizzie said sarcastically, "you're like my alarm clock." Brad laughed. Lizzie ran up on stage. She hated singing in this place; she hated seeing her music go to waste on these grumbling old drunks. But at least she was singing. She had loved to sing ever since the music awards in Rome when she was 15. That was 16 years ago. It pained Lizzie to think about how much different her life would be if she had stayed in Rome and looked for a recording contract. A lot different. She wouldn't have Taylor, for starters.

Three hours later, Lizzie was walking to her car when she felt a hand clamp down on her shoulder. She screamed.

"Whoa, whoa, take it easy!" A man said, putting his hands up as a shield against Lizzie's flying purse.  
>"I'm trying to give you a record deal, here!" Lizzie froze.<p>

"A record deal?" she asked.

"A record deal," he repeated, pulling out a business card. "We only have one contract left to give. If you get to this address in the morning, you can have it. Tell them Marcos sent you." Lizzie glanced warily at the man, but took the card anyway. She shook her head and wandered off to the car. Once inside it, Lizzie shone a flashlight onto the card, making it visible to read. Sour Mouth records. She had heard of this company…that guy must have been for real. Lizzie took out her phone and hit speed dial one.

"Gordo? Can Taylor sleep over at your place tonight? I have an errand to run in the morning…"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Okay, so this is going to be a two or three part story. I'm not going to make this its own story, but I'll tell you when this little mini-fic is over and we're back to normal where no chapters relate to each other. Second part will be up tonight. **


	20. Chapter 20

Lizzie looked at the contract in her hand. She couldn't hire a lawyer to read over all this; she didn't have the money. But, honestly, she didn't know what the hell she was signing. There were too many legal terms. She lowered the pen to the paper and signed her name.

LM LM LM LM LM

"Gordo," Lizzie said, beaming.

"What's up with you? Why are you so happy?" Gordo asked, smiling back.

"I got a record deal?"

"A record deal? Like singing? That kind of record deal?"

"Yes!" Lizzie announced, jumping up and down. Taylor appeared at the door behind Gordo.

"You got a record deal, Mom?" she asked, eyes shining.

"Yes!" Lizzie repeated, taking her daughter's hand and pulling her into a hug. "Oh, I'm so excited!"

"Me too! Congrats, Liz." Gordo said, smiling. "Now, can I talk to you for a sec? I know you guys have to get going pretty soon."

"Sure," Lizzie said. They went into Gordo's office, and he shut and locked the door.

"Liz, I was wondering if Taylor could come spend some days with me for Hanukkah."

"I don't think so, Gordo."

"But…I'm not going to get to see her on Christmas this year."

"And I'm sorry about that." Gordo ran a hand through his hair.

"Then why can't she come? Or can I come over to see you?"

"No, neither of those will work."

"Why the hell not?" Gordo asked, getting frustrated.

"We're going out of town. And I'm getting evicted. We're being kicked out tomorrow night at six. I didn't want to tell you that part because I knew you'd be disappointed in me." Lizzie said, eyes watery. Gordo looked down at her, shocked.

"I'm not disappointed in you, Lizzie. I never could be." He pulled her into his arms. "Where are you going out of town?"

"Wyoming. We're moving there. Sour Mouth's headquarters are there, and that's where they want me to go."

"Lizzie! No, you can't move? What about Taylor? How will I ever see her again?" Gordo asked in a panic. "How will I ever see _you _again?" Lizzie shook her head.

"I don't know."

"You can't just do this! Taylor's my daughter, too, Lizzie. I need to see her."

"Gordo, you were the one who told me to follow my dreams. What happened to all that?"

"I do want you to follow your dreams. But…can't you follow your dreams here?" Lizzie shook her head.

"No," she whispered, "this is my one big shot."

"Lizzie…"

"There's nothing to discuss. We're leaving tomorrow night. I'm staying with a friend until we find a place to live." Gordo felt a tear slide down his cheek. His lip trembled and he let out a sob. The two most important people in his life were leaving, and he didn't know when he would ever see them again.

"I love you guys…so much. Can't you stay? I can help you look for another record deal."

"I know that Taylor loves you as much as you love her, Gordo." Gordo thought that Lizzie could surely hear his heart shattering into tiny pieces. "And this is the record deal I want. I already signed the papers." She watched him cry. "I'll bring Taylor back to say goodbye tomorrow." Gordo nodded. "Bye…" Lizzie said tenderly.

"Bye," Gordo replied. She left, and he sat down and cried until he thought that there were no tears left to cry. Surely there would be some way to visit Taylor again. Lizzie's words were what hurt him the most. "She doesn't love you, man. Get over it." But something deep down said that he couldn't do it. He just couldn't do it.

**A/N: Short, but I have to go to bed. Stay tuned for the next part, coming tomorrow! **

_***Posted at 10:27***_


	21. Chapter 21

**Part 3—Too Little, Too Late**

**A/N: I haven't done a disclaimer for this whole thing, so…**

**I do not own anything associated with Lizzie McGuire. Not the characters, the setting, the theme song…I own zip. In this chapter, there are businesses and bands mentioned. THEY ARE NOT REAL. I'm not making money off this or anything. Yawn. Disclaimers are so boring.**

**Catluver9999: Thank you for pointing that out! I always have trouble with those two! I'll learn eventually…please let me know if you see anything like that in this chapter. :)**

* * *

><p>"Have you got everything?" Lizzie asked, dropping the last box into her van.<p>

"Yeah," Taylor said, following her mother.

"Good. Come on, we're gonna go say goodbye to your father."

"Mom?" Taylor asked, buckling her seatbelt. "Do we really have to leave?"

"Yes. Honey, this is my dream. Sometimes you have to take a risk to follow your dreams, and by leaving, I'm teaching you that," Lizzie replied, confident in her words.

"Sure." Taylor rolled her eyes sarcastically.

"Watch that tone, Missy. Here we are. Let's go say goodbye." Gordo was sitting on the porch at his little duplex house, wringing his hands nervously. Taylor and Lizzie got out of the minivan and Taylor ran into her dad's open arms. Gordo hugged her tight and waved at Lizzie.

"I'm going to miss you so much, Daddy," Taylor said. Gordo's heart broke as he felt his little girl tremble with sobs.

"I'm going to miss you, too, Kiddo." He let go and knelt down to her eye level. "But I'm going to come visit you ever summer when you're out of school, and every Christmas, and every spring break. I promise."

"Promise," Taylor agreed, and they linked pinkies. There was an awkward silence among all three people, but then Gordo held his arms out and he and Lizzie embraced.

"Bye, Liz," Gordo said, pulling away quickly.

"Bye. Stay in touch?" Lizzie asked. He nodded as a response. "Come on, Taylor."

"Bye, Tay. I love you, sweetie." Gordo said, smiling sadly.

"Love you, Daddy." Taylor called as her mother pulled her to the car.

Bdsj

Lizzie glanced over at her sleeping daughter. The drive had been long and boring, and Taylor had fallen asleep about an hour ago. "Sweetheart," Lizzie whispered, parking the car. "We're here." Taylor groaned and opened her eyes. "Come on, honey." Lizzie patted Taylor's knee and they got out of the car.

"Can I call Daddy to say goodnight?" Taylor asked, pulling her bags out of the car. Lizzie sighed.

"Sure, honey. But you should really get used to him not being around."

"Why?"

"Because we're far away from him now."

"But we'll go visit him…won't we?"

"Maybe over spring break or something." Taylor sighed and dragged her bags to the door, where Lizzie's friend helped her inside.

* * *

><p>Days and days had gone by, and Gordo hadn't heard from them. Unless getting a card in the mail with their new phone number and address on it counted. He couldn't stand it anymore. He picked up the phone and dialed the number, waiting on bated breath for someone to answer.<p>

"Hello?" Taylor asked. Gordo sighed with relief. At least he knew they were alive.

"Hey, honey. It's Dad."

"Dad, hi!"

"How are you, Tay?"

"Okay. How are you?"

"I was worried about you. You promised to call."

"Sorry…I forgot."

"It's okay. Can I talk to your mom for a minute?"

"She's not here." Gordo glanced at the clock. It was 9:00 Pacific time, so it would be 10:00 Mountain time. Where could Lizzie be at 10 PM?

"Where is she?"

"She's on tour. She's the opening act for the Fat Heads! That band totally rocks!"

"Oh, that's cool, honey! But…who's watching you?"

"No one."

"No one's watching you?"

"Nope."

"When is your mother going to be home?"

"New Year's Eve is her last concert."

"She won't even be home for Christmas?" Gordo asked, disbelieving. Lizzie wouldn't abandon her daughter. Especially not on Christmas. He looked at his calendar. Just as he thought; it was December 23.

"No." Taylor sounded disappointed. Gordo's heart broke for her. What the hell was going on with Lizzie?"

"Honey, how long has Mom been gone?"

"She left the day after we got here."

"Are you serious."

"I wouldn't lie to you, Daddy. What's wrong…is Mom doing something bad?"

"Tay, listen. I'm going to come get you."

"Can you do that?"

"I'm your father."

"But you can't just come and take me away from Mom, right?"

"We'll talk to Family Services."

"Okay…"

"This is what's best for you, Taylor. I love you. Don't answer the door for anyone."

"I won't. I love you, too." They hung up. Gordo grabbed a slip of paper with Lizzie's address on it, and got in the car. He drove for hours. Taylor sat by her living room window, looking for her father's pick-up truck. When it arrived, Taylor dashed outside and hugged her dad.

"Get some of your stuff packed up. We'll get the rest later," he instructed, looking around the house. Dimly lit, shabby furniture. It looked like the typical house a single mom and her daughter would live in. Taylor went down the hallway and came back with a backpack stuffed full of clothes. "The roads are too icy to drive on, now. I had a hard time getting down here. We'll go stay in a hotel until the roads clear up a little. Okay, Kiddo?"

"Okay, Daddy." Taylor hugged Gordo again. "I really missed you, Daddy."

"I really missed you, too, Tay. Ready to go?" Taylor nodded. Gordo wrote a quick note to Lizzie and then they headed out the door.

* * *

><p>"I'm home!" Lizzie called, stepping into her house on Christmas Eve. The tour had ended early, and she was so excited to be home for Christmas. Silence was the only thing that greeted her. "Taylor?" Lizzie wandered into the kitchen. It was when she set her purse down on the table that she noticed the note from Gordo.<p>

_LIZZIE,_

_I CALLED TO TALK TO TAYLOR AND SHE SAID THAT YOU HAD GONE ON TOUR. I RESPECT AND LOVE YOU, LIZ, BUT YOU CAN'T JUST LEAVE OUR CHILD HOME ALONE FOR DAYS ON END. I WON'T ALLOW IT. I LOVE TAYLOR WAY TOO MUCH TO LET HER BE NEGLECTED. I TOOK HER WITH ME. IF YOU FIND IT NECESSARY, I'LL TAKE YOU TO COURT AFTER THE HOLIDAYS ARE OVER. _

_-GORDO _

Lizzie stared at the paper, unsure if this was some evil kind of practical joke. She ran around the house looking for Taylor. She wasn't there. Gordo really had taken her. Lizzie felt the tears begin to fall. How could she have been so stupid? What was she thinking, going and leaving Taylor alone like that? And for_ what_? Oh yeah…to follow her "dream."

"I really screwed up," Lizzie whispered, shaking her head.

Bgfuvhbe

She had gotten in the car, and soon found herself driving to the grand cathedral she had seen on Main Street. Lizzie had been born and raised Christian, but since she had moved out of her parents' house, she hadn't really been religious. Now was a damn good time to start, though, Lizzie figured. The church was empty. Lizzie wandered up to the front of it where candles were set on a long table. Several had already been lit. Lizzie lit five of them (Taylor's favorite number) and dropped to her knees. She watched the flames dance, but soon her vision became blurred with tears, forcing her to close her eyes and cry. She sobbed and trembled. Lizzie regained control of herself and clasped her hands together. "God," she whispered, but choked on her words. She took a deep breath and started again.

"God, I know I haven't prayed in a long, long time, and I'm sorry. I'm sorry for a lot of things. I'm sorry that I prayed for stupid things when I was little, I'm sorry that I broke Gordo's heart, and…I'm especially sorry that I left Taylor all alone. She didn't deserve that. I was so _stupid._ God, I was so stupid. I know I sin a lot, and that you probably aren't listening to me right now. Why would you have time for some girl in a church in the middle of Wyoming? You have better things to do, like getting volunteers to feed starving children, and saving the Polar Bears. 'Cause, really, they need help, too. But, please, please, just keep my daughter safe. That's all I'll ever ask you for. Her name is Taylor Gordon, and is your biggest follower. All these years when I didn't go to church, she went. She went and prayed and sang the hymns, and whatever else people do at church. So why did you punish her and give her such a moronic mother? I'm not asking you to bring Taylor back to me, I just want you to look down on her and Gordo and keep them safe. They're good people. Gordo's a good man, and he loves Taylor. He'll take better care of her than I ever will be able to. Thank you, God. Amen." Applause rang out from the back pew of the church. Lizzie wiped her eyes and turned around. Gordo was getting up and walking toward her. Lizzie laughed sadly. "How did I do? I'm not exactly an expert at this."

"Not too shabby, McGuire," Gordo responded. "Taylor's okay. She's with your friend. I was doing some last minute Christmas shopping, and I saw your car in the parking lot here. You know…she misses you a lot, Lizzie."

"I bet she doesn't." Gordo knelt down next to Lizzie and took her hand into his.

"Yes, she does. More than you'll ever know."

"Gordo…why am I so stupid?"

"No, you're not stupid."

"Yes, I am. I let the best thing in my life get away from me. And…I'm not too proud of breaking your heart, either."

"Yeah, well, I've gotten over it." Lizzie looked at him. He hadn't gotten over it. She could tell just by looking at his eyes; they were filled with hurt. "Liz, you can come home with us. You can go back to school, get a normal job, whatever. I know you messed up, but Taylor and I need you in our lives."

"I don't know…we already tried living together, remember? It didn't work so well."

"Well, I think that was because you were trying to have a relationship with me when you didn't really love me. If we live together as a parental force, not romantically, things will work out a lot better." Gordo said, nodding confidently.

"Okay," Lizzie said, smiling. They hugged each other and turned to leave the church.

"Merry Christmas, Lizzie."

"And a very Merry Christmas to you, too, Gordo."

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><p><strong>AN: okay, so this is the last piece of this little 3 parter. Tomorrow we will go back to the general "chapters do not relate to each other in any way" rule. Enjoy!**


	22. Chapter 22

"Are you sure it won't start?" Lizzie asked, concerned. Gordo turned the key again. He threw his hands up, defeated.

"It just won't start! I'll have to get out and push. You steer, okay?" Lizzie nodded and watched as Gordo bundled up in his coat. She crawled over the gearshift to his seat. She felt the car lurch forward and slowly crawl over to the side of the road. Once parked safely, Gordo walked over to Lizzie's door. She opened it to talk to him. "I see a cabin just up the road. I'll push the car over to it, and maybe they have a phone we can use."

* * *

><p>"Nope, there's no phone." Gordo said, glancing around the two-room cabin. It had been unlocked when they got there, and they had just let themselves in.<p>

"Nope," Lizzie agreed, shuffling a little closer to Gordo. "Gordo…what if there are, like, ghosts or something?" Gordo laughed and put his arm around her shoulders.

"I don't think there are any ghosts, Liz. But, it doesn't look like whoever owns this place is going to be back anytime soon…so I say we crash here."

"We can't! This place belongs to someone! That's trespassing."

"Well, if they come back, we'll just calmly explain that we were looking for a phone."

"Gordo…"

"Come on," Gordo said, jumping back onto the couch, "it's snowing outside, and my car's broken." Lizzie smiled. Spending the night in a cozy cabin with her best friend…actually didn't sound too bad. Lizzie found some matches and lit a fire in the fireplace, then joined Gordo on the couch. She noticed that he was rubbing at his neck and shoulders.

"Are you sore?" Lizzie asked.

"Yeah, just a little." Lizzie stood up and moved behind the couch. She slowly began to rub Gordo's neck and shoulders.

"Well, you did just push a Jeep for about a half mile. When did you get so strong?" She said jokingly. Gordo laughed.

"I Dunno. Mmmm, that feels really good."

"I'm glad." She sat back down on the couch and turned to face him. "Serious talk, now, though. It's Christmas Eve and we're stuck in some stranger's cabin."

"If you hadn't forgotten your cell phone…"

"Hey! It's not my fault that my roommate borrowed it! And what about you? You don't even _have _a cell phone."

"That's exactly why it's not my fault that we're stuck here."

"But it's your car that broke down." Silence.

Finally, Gordo replied with, "Whatever. We're stuck here and our parents are probably wondering where we are. We need to do something." Lizzie and Gordo had been driving down from college to spend Christmas with their parents when Gordo's car had unexpectedly broken down.

"Maybe there's a gas station a can walk to and use their phone." Lizzie sprung up off the sofa and walked over to the door. She tried to pull it open, only to find that it was jammed. Finally, she managed to open the door, only to be greeted with a pile of flying snow. Lizzie was knocked over with the force of the white powder. Gordo went running over to help her, but he slipped and fell, too. When they both managed to stand up, their clothes were soaking wet, and they were freezing cold. Gordo walked over to the door. The snow that was still left outside was up to his shoulders; about 5' 6" of snow.

"We're not going anywhere, Liz." Gordo announced. Lizzie sighed.

"Well, I'm going to go see if there are any clothes here. I'll freeze if I don't change out of these." Lizzie disappeared into the bedroom and came back wearing a robe and fuzzy socks. She pulled the robe tighter around her and held out some fabric to Gordo. "Another robe," she explained. "I don't want you to freeze, either." Gordo laughed and went into the bedroom to change. When he came back, Lizzie ran into his arms. "Gordo! I heard a noise!" He hesitantly wrapped his arms around her waist and held her close.

"Well, what was it?"

"I don't know! Do you think I would be this scared if I _knew_?" Gordo chuckled.

"It was probably just some snow falling off the roof." Suddenly, there was another loud clunk. Lizzie jumped.

"I don't think I'm going to be able to go to sleep, Gordo."

"Lizzie, stop being silly. It was probably nothing. And besides, aren't you tired?"

"No, not anymore. Can we stay up and play cards or something?" Gordo sighed.

"Sure." They sat down in front of the fire. Several hours and games of Crazy 8's later, Gordo glanced up at Lizzie to see her falling asleep. "Liz, we both have to get some sleep. You go take the bed. I'll sleep out here." Lizzie yawned.

"Don't be stupid, Gordo. I mean…we can share the bed. This couch isn't very comfortable, and I've slept with you before, anyway." Gordo raised an eyebrow at her choice of words. Lizzie turned a bright crimson. "That came out wrong. I _meant _that when we were little, we used to share a bed sometimes, so why should it be different now?"

"If you're okay with it, that's cool. But, if you're not, really I'm fine with the couch."

"No, come on." They both awkwardly fell onto the bed (on opposite sides) and tried to get some shut eye.

* * *

><p>"Daniel, honey, whose car is that?" Teri asked, gesturing at a blue Jeep that was parked in their driveway.<p>

"I don't know," Daniel replied, parking their truck. "Looks like we'll have to dig the cabin out, though." He and his wife got out of the truck and each grabbed a snow shovel out of the bed of the truck. They began to dig the snow away from their front door, completely unaware of the two sleeping people inside.

"Daniel?" Teri said, stepping into the cabin and looking at the deck of cards; scattered around the room. She then noticed that there was a pile of neatly folded clothes slung over the back of the couch. "Whose clothes are these? And who got out the deck of cards?" Daniel followed his wife around the room, instantly reminded of his favorite storybook as a child: _Goldie-Locks and the Three Bears._ He glanced into the bedroom.

"Uh, Teri? Do you know these people?" He asked. Teri looked at the two sleeping figures curled up in the bed, their arms wrapped around each other. That's when Teri screamed. That's also when Lizzie and Gordo woke up and hurriedly untangled themselves from each other.

"We-we were just looking for a phone!" Gordo explained, his hands in the air as if there were a cop nearby. "That's my Jeep in the driveway. It broke down and we pushed it over to here. We were looking for a phone, but then we got snowed in. I'm so sorry…I guess we'll just be going, now." He took Lizzie's hand into his and gave it a comforting squeeze. Daniel wrapped his arm around Teri.

"Ter, they were just looking for a phone. Now, kids, we'll excuse you so you can change back into your clothes, and then it'd be my pleasure to give you a ride to town."

"Thank you…" Gordo said, relieved.

"Daniel. And you two are…?"

"I'm Gordo, and this is my friend Lizzie."

"Nice to meet you both. Now, we'll give you some privacy." They closed the bedroom door, behind which, Lizzie and Gordo broke down into a fit of laughter.

Ugrehguwehgrwuoho

Gordo turned toward the backseat to check on Lizzie. She was sound asleep. "You two an item?" Daniel asked.

"No," Gordo said, nervously glancing around the pickup truck.

"Hmm. Not what I would have guessed by the way you two were cuddled up earlier."

"We weren't like that when we fell asleep, I swear."

"Mmm hmm. So, do you have a girlfriend, Gordo?"

"Um…not at the moment. I like being single. Leaving my options open, you know?"

"You love her."

"Pardon me?"

"You love that girl. I can see it in your eyes when you look at her. It's unmistakably there."

"You're all wrong, sir."

"Sure. But, I'm telling you, love is the best Christmas present you can give a girl."

"Yeah, well, I'm Jewish so I think I'll pass." Daniel laughed.

"Here we are. Gas station. I wrote down our address so you can call a tow truck to come pick up your Jeep." Daniel handed Gordo a slip of paper.

"Thanks, Daniel…for everything."

"Not a problem, my boy." Gordo got out of the car and walked around to the back door of the truck.

"Liz," he whispered. "We're there." A very sleepy Lizzie opened her eyes and slung her arm around Gordo's waist for extra support. "See you around, Dan."

* * *

><p>"We're finally home!" Lizzie said happily, jumping out of the cab. Gordo smiled and took her hand.<p>

"Liz, before we go in there, I need to ask you something." Gordo said, watching curiously as Lizzie bent to scoop up a handful of snow. She then proceeded to toss it into his face. "Very funny, McGuire. I was trying to be serious, here." Gordo said, wiping the snow out of his eyes.

"Sorry," Lizzie replied, trying to hide the smile that was steadily growing on her face.

"Lizzie…I've wanted to ask you this for a very long time, and…just never got up the nerve."

"Why are you so nervous? Jeez, you sound like you're trying to propose." Gordo blushed bright red.

"Er…um…let's go inside. I'll ask you later."

"Gordo," Lizzie grabbed his arm to stop him. "Seriously, you look upset. What's wrong?" Gordo took a deep breath.

"Maybe, you know…after the holidays are over…we could go out. Like, on a date. Or something. Whatever you want." Lizzie laughed at his nervousness.

"I thought you'd never ask." She brushed her gloved hand against his cheek tenderly. She chuckled. "You need to shave."

"You have a razor handy?" Lizzie shook her head. Feeling a little more playful, Gordo added, "Then just shut up and kiss me." And she did just that, with thousands of tiny snowflakes beginning to fall around them, dusting their hair and cheeks.

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><p><strong>AN: Okay, crappy and rushed. I know. This was supposed to be up yesterday, and I'm sorry for my absence. My brother came into town and we did a bunch of holiday stuff together, and by the time I got home, it was almost 11:00. I was going to do two chapters today to catch up, but tonight my dog almost died and we had to take her to the vet. Not exactly how I wanted to spend my evening. Right now, my dog can't walk because of the Morphine they gave her. Please say a prayer for her. :'(**

**I'll post two chapters tomorrow to get caught up. Sorry about being behind so much; my only excuse is that life gets in the way and I can't always write fanfiction. **

_***Posted at 10:21***_


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: This chapter is rated T because of mild sexual references.**

"Daddy! Look!" Kristen stated, pointing into the window of the local Toy Store.

"Yeah. She's really pretty, isn't she?" Gordo replied, following his daughter's gaze. "Maybe you can buy her with your Hanukkah money." Kristen shrugged.

"Maybe. But I'm saving up for something special."

"Oh yeah? And what might that be?"

"Oh, nothing…" Kristen said, looking down. She was mentally slapping herself for saying anything. Now he would never let her go through with her plan.

"Kristen Marie. What are you planning on buying?"

"None of your business?" Kristen watched as her father knelt down onto the cold sidewalk. He took her hand and frowned, though his blue eyes were sparkling.

"It's all of my business. You're eight years old."

Defeated, Kristen said, "Well, Grandma said it was okay and that she would pay for postage…"

"Postage for what?"

"I just wanted to buy Mommy a Christmas present."

"Honey, I don't think that's a good idea. Mommy probably has a lot of presents already."

"But wouldn't one from me be special?" Kristen asked, eyes clouding over. Gordo didn't know what to say. What _could _he say? Your mom left us because she didn't want you? She told me she didn't want to be a mom, and that she wanted to go to NYC to be a dancer on Broadway?

"Well, let's see how much money you get for Hanukkah before we decide anything." He stood up and headed towards home.

* * *

><p>"Daddy! There's a package, and it has my name on it!" Kristen shouted. Gordo glanced down at the package that had been left on his porch. The return address made his head spin.<p>

_KELLY JAMESMEN _

_2349 SOUTH 10__TH__ STREET; APARTMENT #4456_

_NEW YORK CITY, NY_

"What the—'' Gordo asked, picking up the box.

"Daddy! Watch your language!"

"Right…sorry, kiddo. I'll put this under the tree and you can open it on the eighth day, okay?"

"Dad…it says Mommy's name on it." Crap. She had noticed.

"Well, sweetie…" he didn't need to finish that sentence. There was nothing he could say.

"Can I keep it?"

"Come inside. It's cold." Gordo set the box down on the table and closed the door behind Kristen.

"_Can I keep it_?" Kristen repeated, stomping her foot.

"Well, how about I open it tonight and then re-wrap it if I decide you can keep it?"

"No! It's not the same!"

"Kristen…just go to bed. I'll take care of the present."

"Daddy—''

"Go to bed, Kristen!" Kristen burst into tears and stomped off down the hallway. Gordo sat down and rubbed his temples. He hated getting in fights with Kristen because of her mother. He didn't like the kind of person Kelly was, though…who knew what was in that present? Gordo picked up the phone and dialed a number.

"Hello?" a female voice asked.

"Kelly?"

"Gordo?" Gordo sighed for the umpteenth time that day.

"It's me. You, um…sent Kristen a present. I want to know what's in it."

"Don't you trust me, Gordo?"

"No, after what you did to us, I really don't. Honestly, I don't even know why you would send her a present."

"She's my daughter, too. She's six now, and I wanted to make her holiday special."

"She's _eight, _Kelly!"

"Whatever…you know, this whole thing was a mistake. Our whole relationship was one big mistake!"

"What the hell does that mean? Are you implying that I never loved you?"

"_I never wanted a child!_"

"It's not like I…_raped _you, Kelly!"

"Uh, ever heard of protection, Gordo?"

"You said you wanted a kid! I didn't think I _needed _protection!"

"Well, right now, you sure as hell don't sound like you want her, either!"

"Don't you _ever, EVER _say that I don't love my daughter." A male voice said something in the background.

"Listen, Gordo, I have to go." Click.

"Aaah!" Gordo screamed. He went outside and drop-kicked the box into the snow. He followed it only to give it another beating with his foot. "Why is this happening to us? I just want to keep her safe and happy! I try so freaking hard!"

* * *

><p>Lizzie McGuire parked in front of Gordo's house. She got out of the car and headed toward the front door, only to be greeted by screaming coming from the back yard. Curious, she walked around back. Gordo was kicking at a box, which was already bent and dented. "Gordo?" Lizzie asked.<p>

"Liz?" Finally Gordo just broke down. Tears slid down his cheek. Lizzie raised an eyebrow. She had never in her life seen Gordo cry. Something big must have happened. Gordo sat down on the dead grass. Lizzie did the same and then scooted closer to Gordo, pulling him into a hug.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Lizzie asked. Gordo sobbed and took a deep, shaky breath.

"I've just had it with Kelly. Every time I think that Kristen and I are starting to get used to her being gone, she always shows up. She just keeps ruining everything!"

"Gordo, why don't you file for divorce? I think it'll give you a sense of closure."

"I-I can't."

"Do you still love her?" Lizzie asked, hoping he would disagree.

"No. Not after what she did to us. I just can't afford it. Filing for divorce is expensive."

"Mmmm…Where's Kristen?" Lizzie asked, standing up and helping Gordo to his feet.

"Bed."

"Oh. I guess you guys aren't up for games tonight, then?" Lizzie and Gordo had remained friends through the years, and every night, Lizzie would come over and play games with Gordo and Kristen. "Too bad. I was going to kick your ass, Gordon." Gordo laughed and took Lizzie's hand.

"Thanks for coming, Liz. Maybe we could play games, anyway?" Lizzie smiled.

"Sure."

* * *

><p>"Gordo…it's your turn." Gordo snapped his head up and looked at his deck of cards.<p>

"Huh? Oh, yeah…sorry. I just can't concentrate."

"It's okay. You're losing, anyway." Lizzie collected the deck of cards and put them back into the box. She then turned and looked at Gordo. "Gordo? I know you're upset about Kelly and everything, but I have to tell you something. I just…can't hold it in anymore."

"What is it?"

"Um…I don't know how to say it…"

"I'm all ears, Liz. You know you can always tell me anything, right?"

"Yeah. Um…I think that lately, I've been having these feelings…toward you. And, erm, they're not exactly 'friend' feelings…" she was cut off by Gordo's lips being thrust onto hers.

When he pulled away, Gordo said, "I've been feeling that, too. And I'm sorry I didn't get up the nerve to tell you before this."

"I forgive you. But…if we're going to try this, you're going to have to file for divorce. I'll help you pay for it."

"Okay. It's a deal. Now can we do this some more?" He leaned in and kissed he again. Lizzie smiled against his lips.

"Merry Christmas, Gordo."

"Merry Christmas, Liz."

**A/N: Okay, crappy, rushed, no real plot. *shrugs* Next chapter will be up sometime tonight.**

**And you all are so nice! Thanks for all the wishes for my doggy! :')**


	24. Chapter 24

"Easton?" Lizzie called down the hallway. The sixteen year old boy tossed his pencil down and ran his hands through his brownish-blonde hair.

"What?" he called back.

"Dinner's ready. Come eat!"

"I'm studying!" Lizzie appeared in his doorway. "Knock much? I could have been changing." Lizzie sighed.

"But you told me you were studying…and who studies naked?" she curled up her nose. "Dinner's ready." Easton picked up his pencil again.

"I'm studying. And I can take care of myself. Anyway, you're young enough to be my sister, so…just bug off."

"I know you _can _take care of yourself, and I know I _am _young enough to be your sister. But I am over 18 and you aren't, which means you are a minor who has been placed in my care. That means that I have to watch and care for you. A big part of that is making sure that you eat, Easton!"

"I'm studying! I'll eat later if I get hungry." Lizzie threw her hands up in defeat, and retreated down the hall to the kitchen of the apartment. The front door unlocked, and Lizzie's husband walked in.

"Hey," Gordo said. Seeing Lizzie's distraught look, he added, "What's wrong, sweetheart?" Lizzie sighed and shook her head. Gordo watched as she proceeded to take the third place setting off the table. "Easton still giving you a hard time?"

"Understatement of the century, Gordo."

"Well, you can't force him to eat dinner."

"It's not just dinner. He thinks that because we're only 25, he can do whatever he wants."

"He'll come around. It must be scary to be in a brand new place. And his parents just died. We've got to be patient with him. This'll be a hard holiday season for Easton." Lizzie sighed and walked into Gordo's arms.

"You're right. Why do you always have to be so perfect? You make me look stupid in comparison." Gordo laughed and held her tight.

"No one's perfect. Not even me…but I do come pretty close." They laughed. Gordo kissed Lizzie's forehead and continued, "I'm going to go talk to Easton. He's opened up to me a little more easily than you." He approached Easton's room and knocked softly.

"I'm studying!" Easton yelled back.

"It's me. Can I just come talk to you for a minute?"

"I guess so." Gordo opened the door and stepped into the room. He sat down on the bed and waited for Easton to turn and look at him.

Blue eyes locked with brown, and Gordo said, "Lizzie's pretty upset." Easton seemingly became interested in the floor. "She just wants to keep you safe and happy, buddy." When Easton said nothing, Gordo added, "Tomorrow's Christmas Eve. Now, I don't know if you normally celebrate Christmas, but Lizzie is a big Christmas fanatic. I don't care if you stay in your room and study tonight, but tomorrow and the next day, it would literally mean the world to Lizzie if you come out and celebrate with us."

"Okay," Easton nodded and gave a small smile. Gordo patted him on the back, and turned to leave.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Easton awoke early and found Lizzie in the living room, decorating a Christmas tree. Remembering what Gordo had said the night before, Easton took a deep breath and said, "Morning, Lizzie. Can I help?" Startled, Lizzie jumped and turned around.<p>

"Morning, Easton. Um…sure." Easton approached her and took an ornament out of the box of decorations. "What got you into the Christmas spirit?"

"Oh…I don't know." Easton hung the Santa figurine on a sturdy branch, and reached for another ornament. Gordo walked into the room.

"Are you guys having a party without me?" he asked jokingly. Lizzie's eyes lit up, and she smiled.

"Yup," Lizzie replied, walking over to give Gordo a kiss. "Good morning."

"Good morning, sweetheart." Gordo said. Easton rolled his eyes behind their backs, though he secretly wished that someday he would make someone's eyes shine like Lizzie's had for Gordo. What could he say? He was a secret romantic.

"Let's get breakfast ready," Lizzie said to Gordo, grabbing his arm and pulling him into the kitchen. "Okay, do you know what's up with Easton?" she asked once they were behind the closed door.

"What do you mean?" Gordo raised an eyebrow.

"He's being…_cheerful_. He even said 'morning' to me. He wanted to help decorate the tree. What did you say to him last night?"

"Nothing," Gordo lied, trying to be innocent.

"Gordo. I remember what it was like to be 16 years old. Christmas with the family was like a living hell. I didn't just willingly help hang ornaments on the tree."

"Maybe he's just more mature than you were?" Lizzie glared at him.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Joke, joke." Gordo walked closer to Lizzie and kissed her, trying to distract her from the subject of conversation. And it worked, as he felt her start to kiss back. But it only worked briefly. Lizzie pulled away and avoided Gordo's searching lips.

"Breakfast," she smiled, pushing him off of her.

"Okay, breakfast." Gordo smiled back and got out some eggs to scramble.

* * *

><p>"Easton," Lizzie said, walking back into the living room after she had put Christmas dinner in the oven. Since Easton had been so jolly all day, she put him in charge of wrapping presents. He wasn't taking to it too well, and the presents were as if wrapped by a young child, but Lizzie didn't mind. She was glad he was at least trying to participate in the festivities.<p>

"Yeah?" he asked, struggling to curl some ribbon.

"Do you want to try your hand at these?" Easton looked up at the small pile of presents Lizzie was holding.

"Eh, you better do it. I'm not doing so well here." He gave up with the ribbon, deciding to simply tie it in a bow, instead.

"Okay," Lizzie agreed, kneeling down next to him on the carpet. She quickly wrapped all the presents.

"Can you show me how to curl ribbon?" Easton asked. "My mom always used to curl the ribbon on my birthday presents, but I never got to ask her how she did it." Lizzie put a hand softly on his shoulder.

"Sure," she said, proceeding to show Easton how to curl the ribbon. She watched as he tried (and failed) many times. "Hey! You got it!" Lizzie exclaimed finally.

"Yeah! I did it!" Easton said back, and put the finished presents under the tree.

"Hey, what do you say all three of us go and do one of my favorite holiday activities today?"

"Really? What is it?"

"Ice skating!"

"Nah," Easton blushed slightly, "I'm kind of clumsy."

"That, my friend, is one thing we have in common. But ice skating is something everyone can do! Believe me."

* * *

><p>"Are you sure about this? Isn't it, like, dangerous or something?"<p>

"Everything is dangerous, if you think about it." Lizzie blinked. "Jeez I sounded like Gordo, there." Gordo laughed and took her hand.

"Is that such a bad thing?" He asked playfully. Lizzie swatted his arm and watched as Easton grabbed onto the ice-rink wall. "He's not doing too well."

"Shush. You'll make him nervous. He's doing fine." And Lizzie was right, for Easton soon let go of the handrail. By the time the rink closed, he was skating like a pro. Well, sort of.

That night, they all sat down to a glorious Christmas Eve dinner of ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, and several different kinds of vegetables.

"Now," Gordo said, tapping his glass, "I know that we're supposed to do toasts on Thanksgiving, but I think that we should do some tonight, too. I just want to say, thank you to my Lizzie for making this holiday wonderful. I love you more than Pooh Bear loves honey." Lizzie laughed. "And to Easton for making this a very joyful holiday, also. It just wouldn't have been the same without you." They clinked glasses.

"My turn," Lizzie said. "Thank you to Gordo for celebrating this holiday because it's important to me, not because it's his own. And I can honestly say that you make me feel special year-round, not just on Christmas. And, Easton…I think we made big progress this holiday. You've opened up to me a lot more today than you have in all three months you've been here. I'm thankful for you this holiday, as well, because…well, you just bring me joy. You've been so great all day." All three clinked glasses once again. Easton stood.

"I have a lot to be thankful for," he said, "and lately, I think that I've been so stuck in the mourning stage that I haven't been noticing all the gifts I have been given…and I certainly don't say 'thank you' enough. So, thank you. Thank you for taking me under your wing like I'm your own. And…thank you for giving me the day of my life today. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas," Lizzie and Gordo agreed in unison.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry I didn't post two chapters last night. I had had a headache all day, and it just got so bad that I couldn't be around any lights, let alone use a computer to type something. Sorry. I'm posting two today, and the next one will be up soon. :) Enjoy!**


	25. Chapter 25

Lizzie McGuire stared across the table at the man who had once been her boyfriend. "Once" being the key word, there. She followed his every move with her hazel eyes, noticing immediately that something was terribly wrong.

"I'm getting deployed," Gordo said finally, daring to look up at Lizzie.

"Oh," she said simply, avoiding his gaze. She didn't want to say that she was scared, but she was. And he knew that; her eyes gave it all away.

"I need you to do me a big favor." He reached across the table and put his hand on yours. She pulled her hand away.

"What's that?"

"I need you to take the kids for me. Just for a while. Please? I'll probably be home in a couple months."

"Probably? What does 'probably' mean? If you don't die?"

"Lizzie!" He exclaimed. "I _meant _if they don't make me stay longer!" Lizzie shook her head.

"Gordo, your kids hate me."

"They do not. They're just touchy because…well, you know." Gordo's wife, Kat had died a month ago.

"Oh." Lizzie said again. "Makes sense."

"Will you take them, then?"

"I can't," Lizzie said feebly, but she knew she would have to give in.

"What's happened to you, Lizzie? The girl I knew 7 years ago would have done this for me in a heartbeat."_ What happened? _Lizzie thought, _What happened? You broke my heart, Gordon. That's what happened. _

* * *

><p>"Hey," Lizzie said, trying to be as cheerful as possible. She stared down at the two young children sitting on her doorstep. The boy was about five, she guessed, and the girl about three. They stared up at her with Gordo's eyes. Those eyes. They taunted her. "Um, come in." The two kids walked in and put their suitcases down in the foyer.<p>

"Where's the menorah?" The girl asked, looking around. Lizzie remembered suddenly, that her name was Rose.

"Um, well I'm not Jewish, so this year you're going to celebrate Christmas instead." She ventured into the kitchen to start dinner. The children followed her. Lizzie looked over her shoulder, straight into their vacant stares.

"What do you have against Jews?" The boy asked, with the same audacity his father had always had.

"Well, James…"

"Scott," he corrected.

"Scott. I don't have anything against Jewish people. In fact, I dated your father for several years. You don't have to celebrate Christmas religiously, because I don't either. I'm not Christian. I'm not anything, really."

"You dated Daddy?" Rose asked.

"No," Scott said, sitting down Indian-Style on the kitchen floor. "She's bluffing." He clearly had his father's brains.

"Would you like a chair?" Lizzie asked.

"No," Scott said. "I'm hungry. What's for dinner?"

"Pizza."

"From Pizza Hut?" Rose asked, eyes lighting up.

"No," Lizzie bent down next to the oven and scooped the pizza out. "Frozen." Scott and Rose both sighed.

"Shoot! It's burned!" Lizzie exclaimed.

"This is going to be a long, long stay." Scott stated, rolling his eyes at Lizzie's non-existent cooking skills.

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Lizzie wandered aimlessly around the toy store. Gordo had left her some money to buy the kids presents. "So, Scott, Rose. What do you guys want for Christmas?" Lizzie asked.

"A baby doll," Rose said. Scott, however, was a little more difficult.

"I don't celebrate Christmas." He said, grabbing Rose's hand and pulling her away from a doll display.

"Scott, can I talk to you privately for a minute?" Lizzie asked, parking Rose back in front of some baby dolls, and grabbing Scott by the shirt collar to pull him aside. "Scott, I know you're just trying to look after your sister, but what harm is there in celebrating Christmas just this once?"

"We're Jewish!" He shouted, ignoring the stares of fellow shoppers. Lizzie glared at each lookie-Lou-er.

"I know. But there are lots of Jews that celebrate Christmas without all the Jesus stuff. You can, too."

"No," Scott said, blue eyes clouding over. "I miss Dad! He would never force me to do this! I hate you! I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!" The first tears began to flow, and they seemingly couldn't stop.

"Okay, okay, okay!" Lizzie said, defeated. "If you feel that strongly about your religion, I won't make you celebrate Christmas!" She grabbed a baby doll off a shelf and handed it to Rose. "Happy Christ—Hanukkah." She said, leading the children to the check out.

* * *

><p>That night, as Lizzie went to tuck Rose in, the little girl asked, "Why won't Scotty celebrate Christmas with us?" Lizzie sighed.<p>

"Some people take religion very seriously, Rose, and your brother is one of those people. I saw he brought a little menorah with him, though, so he can just celebrate Hanukkah on his own." She exited the guest room and wandered down the hall to the living room, where she had Scott stationed on the couch. He had quite obviously been crying; his cheeks were wet and stained. He was absently spinning a dreidel on the hard wood floor. For a moment, Lizzie stood staring, amazed at how he could get the top to spin for so long. "Maybe later we can play dreidel together." Scott looked up, startled. "Your dad used to make me play that with him every December. It actually was really fun."

"Yeah. It is fun." Scott replied, wiping his eyes.

"I hope you forgive me about earlier today," Lizzie said, sitting down next to him on the floor. "I'm new to this whole Jewish thing. And I'm new to having kids around."

"I forgive you…did you really used to date my dad?"

"Yes. For three years."

"Why'd you two break up?"

"Well, he just didn't feel anything toward me anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"When you date someone," Lizzie said carefully, "they should bring out the best in you. I thought that Gordo brought out the best in me, but he didn't think I brought out the best in him." Scott nodded.

"I think I get it."

"Cool. You want to look at some photo albums?" Again, Scott nodded, and there they sat, looking at the pictures of Lizzie and Gordo for hours.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I've gotta hit the hay. This is a two or three parter, and it'll be finished tomorrow. I'll tell you all to enjoy the holiday again tomorrow, but Merry Christmas! And Happy Hanukkah, and happy Kwanza! I just realized that I have to post two chapters tomorrow, because I was sick a long time ago and never caught up…**


	26. Chapter 26

"Do you know what time it is?" Lizzie asked angrily. Scott stared at her through his innocent blue eyes, not saying a thing. "Do you know what time it is?" Lizzie repeated.

"Yes," Scott replied finally.

"I told you to be home by three! It is not three! What time is it, Scott?" Scott had been at the park by Lizzie's house, and when he hadn't gotten home on time, Lizzie had flipped. She couldn't lose Gordo's kid!

"Five fifteen," Scott answered, leaning against the kitchen table.

"How can you be so calm about this?" Lizzie said, clearly still frazzled. "I totally freaked out!"

"Why? Because my dad would hate you if you lost me? Well, I have news for you. I'm not allowed to go anywhere by myself, anyway!"

"Your dad already hates me. I would feel terrible if you had been kidnapped, though!" She sighed and pulled her hair up into a messy ponytail. "I guess you're right. I shouldn't have let you go by yourself. But I knew that you wanted to play in the snow, and I was so busy…" She looked at Scott, who was not sitting at the table. He shrugged at her. "But I trusted you to be home on time! I guess I just think you're exactly like your dad. He never would have done this. He would have been home not a minute later than three."

"I am a lot like my dad. But I like to be my own person." Lizzie smirked at that. He _was _a whole lot like his dad.

"What'd you say?"

"I like to be my own person." Lizzie nodded.

"That's a good thing. But you still need to be punished. If you were late to work, you'd be fired. If you were late to school, you'd get a detention." She paused, unsure of how to punish this kid. She had never been a parent. She didn't know what to do. "How does your dad usually punish you at home?"

"He doesn't believe in punishing me for little things like this. He just sits me down and talks to me like you did." Lizzie sighed.

"Okay…do you understand why you shouldn't be late, now?" Scott nodded. "Okay, then go play." She watched as the young boy slid down from his chair and ran off in search of Rose.

* * *

><p>Lizzie glanced at the sleeping form on the couch. She carefully tiptoed past him to get her laptop. Gordo was supposed to call any minute now. He had told her that he would most likely be allowed to call every Tuesday and Thursday at 10:00 PM, Pacific Time. Lizzie wandered back down the hall and sat down on her bed, waiting. A pinging noise came from her computer speakers, and she glanced down at her monitor. She hit the accept button and Gordo's face appeared on the screen. "Hey." He said.<p>

"Hey," Lizzie said back, smiling nervously. "Um, how are you?"

"As good as any man at war can be, I suppose. How are you?"

"Fine."

"How are Rose and Scott?" This was the question Lizzie had been dreading. She finally decided on a response.

"Adjusting." Lizzie said, nodding in confidence.

"Good. They're behaving?"

"Um, well there was this little problem…but it was kind of my fault, too…"

"Are you okay?" Lizzie raised an eyebrow. Why had he asked if _she _was okay instead of asking about his kids?

"Yeah. I'm just…conflicted. Scott went to the park down the street from my house while I was busy. I told him to be home by three, but he came home at five fifteen. Should I punish him…or?"

"You let him go to the park by himself?" Gordo asked, leaning forward on his chair.

"Yes," Lizzie said meekly. "I know that I shouldn't have. I see that now. I'm sorry?" Gordo sighed and sat back.

"It's okay. I guess he's responsible enough. Should you punish him?" A smirk appeared on his face, and he shook his head, causing his curls to bounce around. "No. It'll probably make him hate you more."

"I thought you said he doesn't hate me."

"He doesn't hate _you _as a person. He hates the place you have in his life right now. He thinks that I'm trying to…replace his mom with you."

"I could never replace his mom."

"I know. You're doing fine right now, though."

"Yeah, I guess. Gordo…I never actually said that I'm sorry about Kat. I am. I'm really sorry. She was the love of your life, and a great person." Gordo looked away.

"Thank you. Um….I appreciate your sympathy."

"God, I wish I could hug you right now," Lizzie found herself blurting out. "I mean…'cause that was the perfect sappy moment, and…"

"I know what you mean," Gordo cut her off. He knew that she had no feelings for him anymore. Or so he thought.

"Yeah. Um, listen, I'm going to go to bed. Good night."

"Okay. Tell the kids that I love them."

"Will do."

"Goodnight, Lizzie." Then he hung up.

"Night," Lizzie mumbled, to no one in particular. She closed her laptop and leaned back against her pillow. God, why did she miss him so much? It was making caring for his kids so much more difficult. "I do not love him anymore," Lizzie told herself, "I do _not._" Something deep inside of her said that that wasn't true, though.

* * *

><p>"Miranda, hi." Lizzie said into the phone, balancing it on her shoulder while trying to scramble eggs.<p>

"Hey, Liz. How are you?" Miranda said back.

"I'm good. How about you?"

"Fine. Just hanging out with Larry." Larry and Miranda had become good friends in high school, but everyone could tell that Larry wanted more out of their relationship. Even Miranda knew, although she didn't share the same feelings.

"Ooh," Lizzie teased, smiling to herself.

"Shut up!" Miranda teased back. "Is there a reason you called? Not that I don't love just chit-chatting…"

"I…have an issue. And since you've gotten child care experience with Stevie, I thought that you'd know just what to do."

"Oh, my—Lizzie, are you…?"

"Oh, hell no! Who the heck would the father be?" Lizzie heard Miranda's sharp intake of breath through the line. "And don't you dare say 'Gordo'." Lizzie cut Miranda off before she had a chance to speak. "But I am taking care of Gordo's kids while he's deployed."

"He got deployed?" Miranda and Gordo didn't keep in touch as well as Lizzie and Gordo did. "Oh, poor Gordo."

"Yeah," Lizzie agreed. "But he's doing fine so far. He should be home after New Year. But now the real issue is that I've got his kids, and I have no freaking clue what to do with them or how to take care of them."

"Well, first you need some rules."

"What kind of rules?"

"Just sort of tell them what they can and can't do. And set some sort of standing punishment for each broken rule."

"Hmmm…good idea." Lizzie pulled her frying pan off the heat and looked around her apartment. "But…I don't know what they should and shouldn't do…"

"Jeez, Lizzie, weren't you ever a kid?"

"Yes, and I hated my parents' rules. I promised that I would _never _make such stupid rules for my kids."

Miranda smirked. "These aren't _your _kids, Lizzie. Unless Gordo was cheating on Kat?" Miranda laughed when Lizzie made a fake barfing noise. "Oh, come on, we all know you two used to be tight."

"Used to be. As in, seven years ago. His oldest is five. How would that have managed to work out?"

"I was only kidding. Don't have a cow. _Anyway, _these aren't your kids, they're Gordo's, and you need to have rules to keep them safe."

"Miranda…can you just come over later? You can help me with the rules thing, and meet the kids."

"I'd love to. Can I stop by around three?"

"Sounds great."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Okay, next part will be up later tonight. :) Also, this little part of my story won't be finished in three parts like I thought, so I'm going to post the next chapter under this story, but then I'm going to re-post this little part as its own story so I can finish it properly. I'm really liking this idea right now. :) The whole story won't be related to Christmas, though. Also, there won't be a whole lot of Christmas in the next chapter, but there will be some.**

**I hope you had a very nice holiday, those of you who celebrate Christmas. And I hope those of you who celebrate Chanukkah had a great night tonight! And happy early Kwanza! I'm going to spend all day tomorrow running errands. I got a new cell phone, so I have to activate that. Excited! :) Happy holidays, everyone!**


	27. Chapter 27

"Okay," Lizzie said, sitting down across the table from Scott and Rose. Miranda sat next to Lizzie. "Um…we're going to make some rules around here. And Miranda and I have decided that these would be some good ones." Lizzie glanced down at the paper in her hands, and then up at Miranda for moral support. _Be firm, but not evil, _Miranda had told her. "Number one: No coming home late. And from now on, if you come home late, you'll be sent to your room for the rest of the night." Scott raised his hand like he was in school. "Yes, Scott?"

"I don't have a room here." Scott said, giving Lizzie a look that clearly said, "You're a wacko." Lizzie had seen that look on Gordo quite often, and now she willed herself not to laugh.

"You'll be sent to your…couch, then. Rule number two: No leaving the house without telling me where you're going." Scott raised his hand again. "Scott!" Lizzie yelled, exasperated. "Please just let me get through this! Then you can ask your question!" Scott didn't put his hand down. "You can, like, put your hand down now!"

"But I don't have a question. I have a comment." Lizzie sighed.

"What?"

"You said that I'm too young to go anywhere, and Rosie's younger than me…so if we're not allowed to go anywhere without you, why do we need to tell you where we're going? Wouldn't you already know?" Lizzie handed the paper over to Miranda and walked over to her bedroom. The slam of the door signaled that she was _not _happy. Miranda sighed and turned to look at Gordo's kids. She saw so much of Gordo in Scott, and she was sure that Lizzie did, too. That was probably why Lizzie was having a hard time dealing with Scott; he reminded her of Gordo, and then the memory of their brutal breakup would come back. Rose seemed to be more like Kat, and she and Lizzie were getting along fine.

"Scott, go easy on Lizzie. She's trying really hard to take care of you guys, here." Miranda said. Scott glared at her.

"I was just pointing things out…" he said, getting agitated.

"I know. But…" Miranda didn't know how to explain this. She figured it was best that they knew the truth. "You remind her a lot of your dad. Lizzie used to date Gordo, you know."

"She told me. She also told me why they broke up."

"Really? What did she say?"

"That when you date someone, they should bring out the best in you. She said that she felt my dad was bringing out the best in her, but that he didn't think she was bringing out the best in him."

"Oh, you don't know the half of it, kid." Miranda sat back in her chair.

"What?" Scott asked, kicking his feet. Miranda leaned forward again and prepared to tell the story.

* * *

><p>"What on Earth possessed you to tell them that story?" Lizzie exclaimed, throwing the TV remote across the room in agony. She glanced out the window at the kids, who were happily playing in Lizzie's little tiny backyard.<p>

"What possessed Gordo to do those things to you?" Miranda spat back. Seeing the look of distress on Lizzie's face as memories came flooding back to her, Miranda quickly changed the subject. "Look, they deserve to know the truth, don't they?" Lizzie ignored Miranda's comments about the kids.

"That was years ago," she said, wiping at a stray tear. "So many years ago. And after all the crap he put me through, I still love him." Miranda raised a brow at this confession. She had suspected this, but had never asked, knowing that Gordo was a sensitive subject in general. "He was such a bitch."

"He certainly acted like one."

"Yeah…why do I still love him, Miranda? After the way he treated me, I still love him. What the hell is wrong with me?"

"Nothing," Miranda said, sitting down on the couch next to Lizzie and rubbing soothing circles on her back. "Gordo had always treated you well until then. You loved him, and you thought he loved you. Maybe he's your…soul mate or something? I don't know."

"Oh God, I hope he's not my soul mate. If he is, I'm doomed for life." Both girls laughed, and Lizzie wiped the rest of the tears off her cheeks.

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"Come in," Lizzie called. Her bedroom door opened and she saw PJ clad Scott. "Are you okay, Scott?" Scott nodded.

"I'm sorry I gave you such a hard time about your rules." Scott said, sitting down on the edge of her bed.

"Don't be. It's in your genes. You Gordon men have to criticize everything I do," Lizzie said, flipping through a magazine casually.

"I don't mean to criticize you."

"That's what your father said, too."

"But I really didn't!"

"I believe you." There was a pause in the conversation.

"I'm also sorry that my dad treated you so badly." Lizzie froze. She put her magazine down and looked at the floor.

"He didn't treat me badly most of the time."

"It sounds like you really love him."

"_Loved. _I used to love him. Not now." Scott shrugged and nodded. He stood to leave.

"Goodnight, Lizzie."

"Goodnight, Scott. Wait! Scott…I know you don't want to celebrate Christmas, but Rose and I want to. So, maybe tomorrow…you can come with us to get a Christmas tree?"

"Sure," Scott said.

"Good. I'm sure it'll mean a lot to your sister." She smiled and watched as the little boy walked back down the hall to the living room. Maybe this wouldn't be such a bad holiday, after all.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Okay, that was it. Not very long, not very Christmas-y. But, this is the last chapter of my Xmas story! Hope you enjoyed it somewhat! How do I feel about finishing this story? RELEAVED! Now I can concentrate on my other stories. But I think I became a better writer because of this story. Thanks for all the reviews. Hope you liked this story! **

**WATCH OUT FOR MY NEW STORY. I have no clue what it's gonna be called, but it will be up tonight. I'll post all the chapters from here tonight, and then I'll post a new one tomorrow. :) Any questions? Feel free to PM me and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. **


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